Human Performance Evaluation of Isometric and Elastic Rate Controllers in a 6 Dof Tracking Task

The control feel of the master controller in a telemanipulation system has a critical effect on human-machine system performance. Many theoretical and practical human factors issues on hand controller design and selection remain to be explored. In this paper, two types of hand controllers, elastic versus isometric rate controllers, were studied in a 6 degree-of-freedom pursuit tracking experiment. 26 subjects participated in the experiment. The results showed that the elastic rate controller facilitated significantly lower tracking error than the isometric rate controller, presumably due to richer proprioceptive feedback afforded by the elastic device. It was also found that, although the elastic controller was superior to the isometric controller in general, the magnitude of performance differences between the two controllers decreased as subjects gained more experience, supporting the theory that human manipulation shifts from more closed-loop behaviour towards open loop skills.