Position and force augmentation in a telepresence system and their effects on perceived realism

Haptic assistance functions for a telepresence system are presented and assessed. These assistance functions are based on the augmentation of exchanged position and force data, and they are intended to increase the transparency of the telepresence system while maintaining stability. We present the concept and implementation of different assistance functions. Furthermore, we show the setup and results of a psychophysical experiment, which was designed to evaluate the effects of the assistance functions on perceived realism. As a result, the position assistance can increase stability and safety without negatively affecting transparency, and the force assistance can even increase the feeling of presence under certain conditions.