An introduction to the multi-modal multi-robot (MuMoMuRo) control system

Controlling a team of robots is much more challenging than controlling an individual robot. Users desire high level commands that shield the users from too much detail, and yet still afford the desired precision of control. This project aims to design a method through which a team of robots can be controlled as easily and precisely as an individual robot. A simple language in the form of a set of finger gestures allows the user to give general motion commands to the team of robots. The gestures are supplemented by fine controls such as speed through tangible input gadgets. The gesture-based language has been implemented in a prototype user interface on a multi-touch screen. A number of test applications demonstrate the validity of the design.