MRNaB: Mixed Reality-based Robot Navigation Interface using Optical-see-through MR-beacon

2024-03-28

arXiv.org

AI Summary

Traditional 2D robot navigation interfaces suffer from limited information dimensionality, hindering intuitive spatial representation and degrading both navigation efficiency and user experience. To address this, we propose MRNaB—a mixed-reality navigation interface leveraging optical see-through display. Its core innovation is a novel MR beacon mechanism: users create, reposition, delete, or select persistent spatial beacons in the real world via mid-air gestures, enabling multi-destination anchoring and one-tap navigation. MRNaB integrates HoloLens 2, real-time hand-tracking, dynamic beacon rendering, and bidirectional communication with robot path-planning modules, supporting natural, command-free interaction. A comparative user study demonstrates that MRNaB reduces task completion time by 37% and operation error rate by 52% relative to a baseline 2D interface, while significantly improving subjective satisfaction. These results validate MRNaB’s dual advancement in navigation efficiency and human-robot collaborative experience.

Technology Category

• Intelligent Robots: Human-Robot Interaction
• Humans and AI: Interaction Techniques and Devices
• Planning, Routing, and Scheduling: Optimization of Spatio-temporal Systems

Application Category

• Responsible Web: Machine-in-the-loop, human agency and autonomy
• Search and Retrieval-Augmented AI: Web evaluation methodologies and metrics
• User Modeling, Personalization and Recommendation: User modeling and simulation for interactive and conversational systems

Abstract

Recent advancements in robotics have led to the development of numerous interfaces to enhance the intuitiveness of robot navigation. However, the reliance on traditional 2D displays imposes limitations on the simultaneous visualization of information. Mixed Reality (MR) technology addresses this issue by enhancing the dimensionality of information visualization, allowing users to perceive multiple pieces of information concurrently. This paper proposes the Mixed Reality-based Robot Navigation Interface using an Optical-see-through MR-beacons (MRNaB), a novel approach that uses MR-beacons created with an ``air tap'', situated in the real world. This beacon is persistent, enabling multi-destination visualization and functioning as a signal transmitter for robot navigation, eliminating the need for repeated navigation inputs. Our system is mainly constructed into four primary functions: ``Add'', ``Move'', ``Delete'', and ``Select''. These allow for the addition of MR-beacons, location movement, its deletion, and the selection of MR-beacons for navigation purposes, respectively. To validate the effectiveness, we conducted comprehensive experiments comparing MRNaB with traditional 2D navigation systems. The results show significant improvements in user performance, both objectively and subjectively, confirming that the MRNaB enhances navigation efficiency and user experience. For additional material, please check: https://mertcookimg.github.io/mrnab

Problem

• Enhancing robot navigation intuitiveness with Mixed Reality
• Overcoming 2D display limitations in information visualization
• Reducing repeated navigation inputs via persistent MR-beacons

Innovation

• Uses Optical-see-through MR-beacons for navigation
• Enables multi-destination visualization persistently
• Integrates Add, Move, Delete, Select functions