Tele-impedance increases interaction performance between a robotic tool and unstructured/unpredictable en-vironments during teleoperation. However, the existing tele-impedance interfaces have several ongoing issues, such as long calibration times and various obstructions for the human operator. In addition, they are all designed to be controlled by the operator's arms, which can cause difficulties when both arms are used, as in bi-manual teleoperation. To resolve these issues, we designed a novel foot-based tele-impedance control method inspired by the human limb stiffness ellipse modulation. The proposed mechanical interface design includes a disc and a foot pressure sensor that controls the orientation and size/shape of the stiffness ellipse, respectively. We evaluated the disc interface control method in an experimental study with 12 participants, who performed a complex drilling task in a virtual environment. The results show the ability of the operator to use the proposed interface in order to dynamically adapt to different phases of the task and changes in the environment. In addition, a comparison with low and high uniform impedance modes demonstrates a superior interaction performance of the proposed method.@en

A common limitation in human factors research is that vehicle simulators often lack perceptual fidelity. Video games, on the other hand, are becoming increasingly realistic and may be a promising tool for simulator-based human factors research. In this work, we explored whether an off-the-shelf video game is suitable for research purposes. We used Grand Theft Auto (GTA) V combined with a Smart Eye DR120 eye tracker to measure eye movements of participants cycling in hazardous traffic situations. Twenty-seven participants encountered various situations representative of urban cycling, such as intersection crossings, a car leaving a parking spot in front of the cyclist, and the opening of a car door in front of the cyclist. Data of participants’ gaze on the computer monitor as recorded by the eye tracker were translated into 3D coordinates in the virtual world, as well as into semantic information regarding the object where the participant was focusing on. We conclude that GTA V allows for the collection of useful data for human factors research.@en