Comparison of Display Modality and Human-in-the-Loop Presence for On-Orbit Inspection of Spacecraft.

Objective: To investigate the impact of interface display modalities and human-in-the-loop presence on the awareness, workload, performance, and user strategies of humans interacting with teleoperated robotic systems while conducting inspection tasks onboard spacecraft.

Background: Due to recent advancements in robotic technology, free-flying teleoperated robot inspectors are a viable alternative to extravehicular activity inspection operations. Teleoperation depends on the user's situation awareness; consequently, a key to successful operations is practical bi-directional communication between human and robot agents.