Evaluation of low-speed driving behavior of remotely controlled vehicle

This paper presents an experimental study on the remote control of a vehicle, focusing on driving behavior. In remote control, an operator controls a vehicle remotely using visual information captured and transmitted by a camera on the controlled vehicle without grasping sensory information related to vehicle motion, such as acceleration, vibration, or turning. The quality of visual information and a consideration of the lack of sensory information about vehicle motion are thus important for operating a vehicle safely and efficiently. This study clarifies differences in human (direct) driving and remote control driving. In step 1 of the study, we developed an experimental vehicle to evaluate the influence of visual information and evaluated the relationship between driving behavior and the quality of visual information. In step 2, we developed a remotely controlled vehicle to compare driving behavior during direct and remote driving. We also evaluated the driving behavior exhibited when there was no information on vehicle motion.