Fuzzy Force-Feedback Augmentation for Manual Control of Multirobot System

Multirobot systems represent an enticing area of research with numerous real-world applications. Teams of multiple robots can achieve tasks that are more difficult or even impossible for a single robot, e. g., environment exploration, search and rescue, or surveillance operations. In a previous work, the authors developed a system for the single-operator manual control of a multirobot system. However, such teleoperation systems commonly suffer from inadequate perception of the remote environment. This paper extends the previously presented work by adding a fuzzy force-feedback (FFF) augmentation for the manual control of a multirobot system. The FFF augmentation delivers additional information to the operator. Moreover, it guides the operator toward the smooth control of the robotic group. The force feedback was generated by a system of fuzzy controllers monitoring the state of the multirobot group. The performance of the system was evaluated in a virtual environment, and the recorded forces were explored in various scenarios. The force-feedback augmentation demonstrated the following improvements: 1) operator's increased obstacle awareness and 2) improved maneuvering performance.