Simulation of a Teleautonomous Multiple Robot System with a Single Human Operator
Abstract
This paper reports on a simulation conducted to determine the number of semiautonomous robots that one operator can handle. Robots can be teleoperated, meaning a human controls the robot and tells it what to do; autonomous, where the robot makes its own decisions; or teleautonomous, a combination of the two. The use of autonomous robots may reduce operator errors due to fatigue. However, at times, these robots may require human intervention, e.g., if they get stuck or in Urban Search and Rescue if a victim is found. A simulation of multiple autonomous robots and one human operator was conducted. The results indicate that while 7--10 robots give the operator barely any idle time, 1--4 robots allow too much. Based on these results, a single human operator handling somewhere between 5--6 robots might be ideal.