  This paper addresses the problem of safe and efficient navigation in remotely
controlled robots operating in hazardous and unstructured environments; or
conducting other remote robotic tasks. A shared control method is presented
which blends the commands from a VFH+ obstacle avoidance navigation module with
the teleoperation commands provided by an operator via a joypad. The presented
approach offers several advantages such as flexibility allowing for a
straightforward adaptation of the controller's behaviour and easy integration
with variable autonomy systems; as well as the ability to cope with dynamic
environments. The advantages of the presented controller are demonstrated by an
experimental evaluation in a disaster response scenario. More specifically,
presented evidence show a clear performance increase in terms of safety and
task completion time compared to a pure teleoperation approach, as well as an
ability to cope with previously unobserved obstacles.
