Stereoscopic human interfaces

This article focuses on the use of stereoscopic video interfaces for telerobotics. Topics concerning human visual perception, binocular image capturing, and stereoscopic devices are described. There is a wide variety of video interfaces for telerobotic systems. Choosing the best video interface depends on the telerobotic application requirements. Simple monoscopic cameras are good enough for watching remote robot movements or for teleprogramming a sequence of commands. However, when operators seek precise robot guidance or wish to manipulate objects, a better perception of the remote environment must be achieved, for which more advanced visual interfaces are required. This implies a higher degree of telepresence, and, therefore, the most suitable visual interface has to be chosen. The aim of this article is to describe the two main aspects using stereoscopic interfaces: the capture of binocular video images, according to the disparity limits in human perception and the proper selection of the visualization interface for stereoscopic images.