Levels of Automation for a Mobile Robot Teleoperated by a Caregiver
This addresses the problem of optimizing robot usability for non-technical caregivers in eldercare, though it is incremental as it builds on existing automation concepts.
The study tackled how different levels of automation (LOA) affect caregiver performance with a telepresence robot, finding that high LOA improved performance for low-complexity tasks, but low LOA was better for high-complexity tasks, with similar trends for workload and awareness.
Caregivers in eldercare can benefit from telepresence robots that allow them to perform a variety of tasks remotely. In order for such robots to be operated effectively and efficiently by non-technical users, it is important to examine if and how the robotic system's level of automation (LOA) impacts their performance. The objective of this work was to develop suitable LOA modes for a mobile robotic telepresence (MRP) system for eldercare and assess their influence on users' performance, workload, awareness of the environment and usability at two different levels of task complexity. For this purpose, two LOA modes were implemented on the MRP platform: assisted teleoperation (low LOA mode) and autonomous navigation (high LOA mode). The system was evaluated in a user study with 20 participants, who, in the role of the caregiver, navigated the robot through a home-like environment to perform control and perception tasks. Results revealed that performance improved in the high LOA when task complexity was low. However, when task complexity increased, lower LOA improved performance. This opposite trend was also observed in the results for workload and situation awareness. We discuss the results in terms of the LOAs' impact on users' attitude towards automation and implications on usability.