A Gesture-based Interactive System for Automated Material Handling Vehicles: Implementation and Comparative Study

Leveraging gesture-based controls within a remote interface for automated material handling operations presents a promising avenue to optimize experience in outdoor environments. We present a gesture-based interactive system designed to facilitate collaboration between a human operator and a semi-autonomous forklift in material handling processes. Our interface supports commands that include starting the forklift, defining the loading/unloading area and the amount of pallets that need to be transported. We tested and compared the proposed solution to a touch-based User Interface in a field study to explore its effectiveness and identify potential challenges for implementation and adoption in industrial real-world settings.