  This paper proposes a novel operation for controlling a mobile robot using a
head-mounted device. Conventionally, robots are operated using computers or a
joystick, which creates limitations in usability and flexibility because
control equipment has to be carried by hand. This lack of flexibility may
prevent workers from multitasking or carrying objects while operating the
robot. To address this limitation, we propose a hands-free method to operate
the mobile robot with a human gaze in an Augmented Reality (AR) environment.
The proposed work is demonstrated using the HoloLens 2 to control the mobile
robot, Robotnik Summit-XL, through the eye-gaze in AR. Stable speed control and
navigation of the mobile robot were achieved through admittance control which
was calculated using the gaze position. The experiment was conducted to compare
the usability between the joystick and the proposed operation, and the results
were validated through surveys (i.e., SUS, SEQ). The survey results from the
participants after the experiments showed that the wearer of the HoloLens
accurately operated the mobile robot in a collaborative manner. The results for
both the joystick and the HoloLens were marked as easy to use with
above-average usability. This suggests that the HoloLens can be used as a
replacement for the joystick to allow hands-free robot operation and has the
potential to increase the efficiency of human-robot collaboration in situations
when hands-free controls are needed.
