Forward error correction for reliable teleoperation systems based on haptic data digitization

In this paper, we present a forward error correction method to improve reliability of bilateral teleoperation systems or haptic interfaces over the unreliable network. Based on the digitization of haptic data, the proposed error correction method can be processed within a sampling period, which ensures a real-time process for bilateral teleoperation systems or haptic interfaces. An experimental study is performed using a haptic interface that is interacted with a virtual environment through the communication network. We conduct a psychophysical evaluation to determine the required bit resolution for the haptic data digitization method. Given the psychophysical evaluation result, we present a reliability evaluation of the proposed forward error correction method under the packet loss behavior over the communication network in addition to the noisy environment.