Evaluation of a haptic interface for UAV teleoperation in detection of radiation sources

We describe a remotely-piloted aerial system (RPAS) designed for environmental monitoring and specifically equipped for detection of nuclear radiating substances or materials in outdoor environments. The RPAS comprises an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), a lightweight radiation detector mounted on a gimbal connected to the UAV and providing real-time radiation information, a suitable communication infrastructure, and an HMI system including a novel haptic-based teleoperation interface purposely designed for environmental monitoring. The haptic interface supplements the standard graphical and visual sensorial channels to improve the efficiency of the UAV exploration. Simulation tests as well as preliminary experiments with the RPAS have shown that the haptic component of the HMI interface reduces the mental load of the operator who drives the UAV.