Exploring human perception-based data reduction for haptic communication in 6-DOF telepresence systems

In this paper a human perception-based data reduction method is suggested to reduce the number of packets transmitted in 6-degrees-of-freedom (DOF) telehaptic systems; specifically in haptic-enabled telepresence. The algorithm relies on knowledge from human haptic perception in order to reduce the number of packets transmitted without compromising transparency. Several distance metrics are also discussed to best examine the acuity of human perception in detecting haptic distortion when data reduction is performed in 6-DOF settings. A validation of the haptic data reduction technique is performed in a telepresence system which enables haptic interaction with a remote virtual environment. Statistical significance tests (using Friedman's nonparametric ANOVA, and Wilcoxon-Signed Rank tests) were carried out to determine the appropriate multivariate human haptic perceptual thresholds (force, torque, orientation, etc.) required to minimize the number of packets transmitted while preserving the immersiveness of the 6-DOF telehaptic environment. It was observed that the suggested algorithm can significantly reduce haptic data traffic with little or no influence on the quality of haptic-enabled telepresence interaction.