Shared-Control Teleoperation Methods for a Cable-Suspended Dual-Arm Unmanned Aerial Manipulator

This paper introduces two shared-control teleoperation methods for remotely executing long-reach tasks with a cable-suspended dual-arm unmanned aerial manipulator. The proposed techniques aim to improve task performance and user experience during remote tasks involving interaction with the environment. Two application scenarios are envisioned: pushing against a flat surface to emulate in-contact inspection tasks of infrastructures, and object grasping to simulate debris removal in cluttered environments. The effectiveness of the two shared-control teleoperation methods is evaluated through a human-subjects study involving 10 participants commanding the simulated robot via a joystick interface. Statistical analysis demonstrates significant enhancements in task performance and system usability when using the proposed methods compared to standard teleoperation.