Commercial-Off-the-Shelf Force Feedback System to Enhance Teleoperation Control Accuracy

Teleoperation systems are essential for task completion in challenging or hazardous environments where unmanned operation is necessary. A significant limitation of the current teleoperation system is the lack of cost-effective solutions that provide precise force feedback, which is crucial for accurate and intuitive control. This study presents a real-time force feedback system using easily accessible commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) components and demonstrates that the presented force feedback system enhances the operator's control accuracy in teleoperation. The presented system utilizes flex and force sensors installed over the gloves and the robotic gripper, respectively, along with a microcontroller that translates finger movements into gripper actions and provides force feedback to the operator's fingers. Six healthy human subjects participated in the experiment, performing manipulation tasks under two feedback conditions: vision-only and vision with force feedback. Test results demonstrated that the inclusion of force feedback reduced the initial contact force by approximately 40% in scenarios where visual information was limited. These findings confirm the effectiveness of the presented COTS system in delivering force feedback and improving control accuracy in teleoperation tasks.