UAV Tele-operation using Haptics with a Degraded Visual Interface

In the tele-operation of a UAV, haptic feedback can be used to complement visual feedback, resulting in a multi-sensory interface that allows operators to enhance their situation awareness. However, when inconsistencies between haptic information and visual information exist, it is questionable whether haptic feedback is still useful. This paper describes an experimental evaluation of using haptic feedback with a degraded visual interface. The display failure was expressed by errors in the coordinates of objects projected on the navigation display. Experiment results indicate that errors in the navigation display leads to a considerable increase of collisions. Haptic feedback helps reducing the increase of the number of collisions, hence, less deterioration of the level of safety.