I found a paper the other day, which utilizes a multitouch interface for controlling and communicating with tasking robots. The device used is a Dell tablet PC, which is mobile enough for the in-field application. The application allows the user to choose a robot and specify a task: go to X, perform reconnaissance, or cross dangerous area. The existing interface below shows that it is not touch friendly, due to the pull down menus and small buttons.
The multitouch interface was redesigned to solve some of the precision issues with the existing interface. Firstly, Windows 7 was used to get better multitouch capabilities. The buttons were made larger, pan and pinch gestures were utilized, and other tools were changed to benefit from touch interactions.
The study consisted of performing several tasks with each interface. The main metric was the speed of completion of each task, and NASA TLX surveys were also used to measure loads with each interface. The results favor the new multitouch interface greatly. This seems like a similar application and study as we are headed toward here at the P54 lab.
Mike Litchfield