Human robot interaction in the absence of visual and aural feedback: Exploring the haptic sense

The potential of robot swarms for Search and Rescue has been shown by the Guardians project (EU, 2006-2010); however the project also showed the problem of human robot interaction in smoky (non-visibility) and noisy conditions. The REINS project (UK, 2011-2015) focused on human robot interaction in such conditions. This paper briefly reviews the scientific context relevant for designing a haptic interface for human robot navigation and examines what we have achieved since then. The aim is to put the major design issues into context.