Control interface for teleoperated construction inspection robot

Abstract

This project was conducted to investigate the area of teleoperated robotic inspections at construction sites, as well as to design a prototype of the inspection robot’s control interface with a focus on usability. The interface, a web based application, allows the user to access and control the driving, tool usage and various other features of the robot remotely. The investigation into the area was conducted through two primary studies - one user study consisting of interviews with construction experts and one literature study focusing on relevant subareas of research. The data from these studies was analyzed using a modified thematic analysis approach, which yielded a number of themes and findings that formed the basis of the following design work. Throughout the design phase, concepts were evaluated using both Unity and Figma based prototypes by implementing these into usability tests aimed at identifying problems and opportunities for improvements. From the research phase, a number of interesting findings were identified. Aspects such as the chaotic nature of construction sites, allocation of user attention and situation awareness proved especially challenging in ensuring satisfactory use of the interface. Additionally, enabling the entire spectrum of construction inspections, both from very general to specific ones, dictated much of the design work. The users also placed emphasis on certain overarching principles being adhered to, such as efficiency and safety. Through a set of iterations, a final design proposal was created, covering the primary use cases of the robot. The focus was on separating the advanced features from the basic ones, enhancing the explicitness of the controls and minimizing the operators’ cognitive workload.