Commanding Grasping Robot through Virtual Reality and Simulated Wrenches

Virtual Reality (VR) is a human-computer interface (HCI) that allows the user to feel immersed in a completely simulated environment where he can interact through multiple sensorial channels in real-time [16].
Immersion, interaction and imagination are three important characteristics of Virtual Reality [47].
In the last decades, Virtual Reality was used to train and test subjects in environments leading to an increasing interest in both industrial and academic applications. Moreover, researchers collect human data inside virtual environments for training robots [13]. The research [62] has investigated on the use of virtual reality interface and telerobotics for the maintenance and repairing problems arised thanks to the growth of space debris. To enhance success possibility of servicing operations, the space system and telerobot have to fit together and the operator must accomplish a training. For these reasons, the Virtual Reality interface is the most suitable in terms of design simulations and training tasks.
Applications could include entertainment (i.e. games), medical and military training, robot motion planning and control (trajectory generation, manipulation) , Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) and Brain-Computer Interface (BCI). Modern teaching curricula aims to educate trainees efficiently in safe environments to establish transfer-ability into the real environment context.
Augmented Reality (AR) describes display-based systems that combine real and virtual elements, which are interactive in real-time [40, 44]. The real world environment is considered augmented by virtual imagery.
On the contrary, in Augmented Virtuality (AV) real world information augments the virtual scene.
Milgram and Kishino introduced the "virtuality continuum" concept that created the connection between the real world and the virtual one. In Figure 7 is represented the Reality-Virtuality Continuum [41, 42], a scale ranging between a completely virtual scenario case to a full real environment. It encompasses all the variations of virtual and real elements.[...]