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Hear here: Sonification as a design strategy for robot teleoperation using virtual reality

Simmons, J; Bown, A; Bremner, P; McIntosh, V; Mitchell, T J

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Authors

J Simmons

A Bown

Paul Bremner Paul2.Bremner@uwe.ac.uk
Associate Professor in Human Robotics Interactions

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Verity McIntosh Verity.Mcintosh@uwe.ac.uk
Associate Professor of Virtual and Extended Realities

Tom Mitchell Tom.Mitchell@uwe.ac.uk
Professor of Audio and Music Interaction



Abstract

This paper introduces a novel methodology for the sonification of data, and shares the results of a usability study, putting the method- ology into practice within an industrial use case. Working with partners at Sellafield nuclear facility, we explore the effectiveness of the sonification strategy in a scenario where operators in a vir- tual reality simulation manage a team of semi-autonomous robots. The robots use onboard sensors to map an unexplored space within a simulated nuclear facility, and the sensor data is sonified, using principles of cognitively aligned metaphor, legibility and user com- fort. Operators use the auditory information in the VR scene to identify key hazards: radiation, temperature and flammable gas. They are tasked with tagging contaminated areas and protecting the robots from harmful exposure to hazards. We offer insight into features that impact user experience and system usability within our scenario. In particular we examine the importance of aligning AI robot behaviours with user expectations, and the implications of alarm fatigue when high priority sounds are repeatedly triggered. We also discuss the potential limitations of the use case, including the suitability of virtual reality environments of this nature for regular, durational use in the workplace. Overall, results of the study suggest that our distinctive approach to sonification as a design strategy for the teleoperation of robots using virtual reality is effective and easily adopted.

Citation

Simmons, J., Bown, A., Bremner, P., McIntosh, V., & Mitchell, T. J. (2023). Hear here: Sonification as a design strategy for robot teleoperation using virtual reality.

Conference Name VAM-HRI Virtual, Augmented, and Mixed-Reality for Human-Robot Interactions at HRI
Conference Location Stockholm
Start Date Mar 13, 2023
End Date Mar 13, 2023
Acceptance Date Feb 26, 2023
Online Publication Date Mar 31, 2023
Publication Date Mar 31, 2023
Deposit Date Apr 20, 2023
Publicly Available Date Apr 27, 2023
Publisher Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)
Pages 1-9
Keywords sonification; sound design; virtual reality; robotics; teleoperation; nuclear decommissioning
Public URL https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/10636580
Publisher URL https://openreview.net/forum?id=1ZPQtSzYAP
Related Public URLs https://vam-hri.github.io/

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Copyright Statement
Simmons, J., Bown, A., Bremner, P., McIntosh, V., & Mitchell, T. J. (2023). Hear here: Sonification as a design strategy for robot teleoperation using virtual reality.

The final published version is available here: https://openreview.net/forum?id=1ZPQtSzYAP







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