Tele-presence for Efficient Tele-robotics through Immersive Virtual Reality
Abstract
The proposed project aims to develop a fundamental framework for establishing an immersive virtual reality environment for robust and scalable human robotics interaction in a cooperative intelligent architecture at the University of Houston-Victoria (UHV), a designated Hispanic-Serving Institution of higher education. This project is designed to create a bridge between the fields of robotics and digital gaming. The establishment of this research project and its continuation will have a significant impact on enhancing UHV’s currently active programs in computer science as well as digital gaming and simulation by 1) enhancing the insitution’s ability to deliver quality research opportunities to under-served students, 2) providing student support and state-of-the-art research projects in the fields of virtual reality and robotics, 3) creating a pathway for aspiring students, including minorities, to earn advanced degrees in STEM, and 4) enabling the institution to participate more competitively in DoD research programs and activities. In this research project we aim at addressing several technical areas of interest to the Department of Defense (DoD) critical to the national security functions of the DoD. We will draw from both digital gaming and robotics fields to answer three main research questions: Immersion and Depth of Information for Tele–robotics: How does immersive virtual reality help in the delivery of novel models for robot tele-operation? This link between robotics and gaming aims to investigate how human kinetics may be utilized in the telecontrol and manipulation of robotic agents, while virtually bringing the human operator into the same operational field as the controlled robot. Situational Awareness for Interactivity and Breadth of Information: How would intent recognition enhance DoD robots’ ability to interact with their local environment and associated users? This crosscutting link between digital gaming and robotics entails two research tasks: fusing sensory information from diverse 3D sensory systems and utilizing this information into models developed to recognize intent. Our focus is on pre-defined/ structured tasks rather than general ones – but with the emphasis on recognizing the intent (before actions are completed). Distributed and High Performance Computing: Finally, we ask which computational components of the proposed work can be outsourced to a high performance GPU cluster while maintaining low–power, fast and efficient computations on–board.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Feb 11, 2016
- Source ID
- W911NF1510455
Entities
People
- Alireza Tavakkoli
Organizations
- Army Contracting Command
- Office of the Secretary of Defense
- Texas A&M University–Victoria