Tele-Operation

Definition: The objective of tele-operation is to allow the user to interact with and operate equipment and devices in a remote location without actually being in that location.

Tele-operation can be thought of as a special case of telepresence. The objective of teleoperation is to allow the user, referred to as the “operator”, to interact with and operate equipment and devices in a remote location without actually being in that location. The term itself literally illustrates two layers of implications: the users are virtually “operating” at the remote site, and that the operation is “tele” i.e. distant. The implications lead to two essential components in such systems: location and communication . Locations indicate the locations in which the users are virtually operating. Standard locations vary from conventional VR to augmented reality (AR) and to real world environments. The interactivity between host and remote locations is accomplished via networking and multimedia communications. It is generally accepted that there are three independent aspects of presence which contribute to achieving a sense of remote telepresence:

• The extent of the sensory information: it is necessary to provide the operator with the same level of sensory information that they would receive if they were actually present at the remote site.
• Control of sensors: it must be possible to move the sensing devices around the environment as if the operator was at the remote site.
• The ability to modify the remote site and actively interact with it.