Learning effects in telemanipulation with monoscopic versus stereoscopic remote viewing

An investigation has been carried out on the effects of skill acquisition of the type of closed circuit video system being used in a teleoperation system. Two experiments were performed, using a mobile explosive ordnance disposal robot equipped with a switchable monoscopic/stereoscopic video system. One experiment comprised a simple, repetitive approach-and-touch task. The other involved a Fitts´ law type of speed/accuracy tradeoff task. In both experiments, subjects´ learning data were recorded. The results are discussed in terms of relative performance of stereoscopic versus monoscopic viewing, as a function of repetition number and of task difficulty. An important result is that for highly repetitive tasks it is less demanding to perform the task using a stereoscopic display than using a monoscopic display at all levels of experience