Human-Robot Cooperation in Surface Inspection Aerial Missions

The goal of the work presented in this paper is to
facilitate the cooperation between human opera-
tors and aerial robots to perform surface inspec-
tion missions. Our approach is based on a model
of human collaborative control with a mixed ini-
tiative interaction. In the paper, we present our
human-robot cooperation model based on the
combination of a supervisory mode and an as-
sistance mode with a set of interaction patterns.
We developed a software system implementing
this interaction model and carried out several
real flight experiments that proved that this ap-
proach can be used in aerial robotics for sur-
face inspection missions (e.g., in vision based
indoor missions). Compared to a conventional
tele-operated inspection system, the solution pre-
sented in this paper gives more autonomy to the
aerial systems, reducing the cognitive load of the
operator during the mission development.