{"id":{"repo_id":"unr","oai_identifier":"oai:scholarwolf.unr.edu:11714/11742"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/unr/oai:scholarwolf.unr.edu:11714/11742","repository":{"repo_id":"unr","name":"University of Nevada - Reno","base_url":"https://scholarwolf.unr.edu/server/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Experimental Evaluation of Merged-View Systems and VR-Based Reconstruction Approaches for Enhanced Mining Vehicle Teleoperation","abstract":"In mining teleoperation, multi-view visualization systems can improve efficiency and safety but often impose a high cognitive load, causing operators to tunnel attention toward a single view. To explore a more efficient alternative, this study evaluated a merged-view interface that integrates multiple camera perspectives into a single coherent display. In a controlled experiment, 35 participants navigated a teleoperated rover robot along a 50 m simulated underground mine path under both multi-view and merged-view conditions. Task performance and eye-tracking data, including completion time, path adherence, and speed-limit violations, were recorded for comparison. Results showed that the merged-view system enabled 6 % faster completion times, 21 % higher path adherence, and 28 % fewer speed-limit violations. Eye-tracking metrics revealed more efficient and distributed attention in the merged view: blink rate decreased by 29 %, fixation duration shortened by 18 %, saccade amplitude increased by 11 %, and gaze-transition entropy rose by 14 %, reflecting broader and more adaptive scanning. The NASA Task Load Index (NASA-TLX), a widely used subjective workload assessment tool, indicated a 27 % reduction in perceived workload. Regression-based sensitivity analysis showed that gaze entropy was the strongest predictor of efficiency in the multi-view condition, whereas fixation duration dominated under merged-view visualization. For path adherence, blink rate was most influential in the multi-view setup (frequent disengagement reduced stability), whereas fixation duration was the primary predictor in the merged-view interface, reflecting steadier gaze and improved control. Overall, merged-view visualization enhanced situational awareness, reduced cognitive tunneling, and provided quantitative guidance for designing safer and more efficient teleoperation interfaces in hazardous mining environments. Complementing this empirical work, a review of VR-based teleoperation approaches highlights the potential of 3D reconstruction methods to create immersive environments with enhanced situational awareness. The review concluded that depth-based reconstruction is most effective for underground mining, while point-cloud modeling is more suitable for surface environments. Together, these findings demonstrate that merged-view visualization reduces cognitive tunneling, enhances safety and efficiency, and that VR approaches may provide the next frontier for advanced teleoperation interfaces in mining.","abstract_html":"In mining teleoperation, multi-view visualization systems can improve efficiency and safety but often impose a high cognitive load, causing operators to tunnel attention toward a single view. To explore a more efficient alternative, this study evaluated a merged-view interface that integrates multiple camera perspectives into a single coherent display. In a controlled experiment, 35 participants navigated a teleoperated rover robot along a 50 m simulated underground mine path under both multi-view and merged-view conditions. Task performance and eye-tracking data, including completion time, path adherence, and speed-limit violations, were recorded for comparison. Results showed that the merged-view system enabled 6 % faster completion times, 21 % higher path adherence, and 28 % fewer speed-limit violations. Eye-tracking metrics revealed more efficient and distributed attention in the merged view: blink rate decreased by 29 %, fixation duration shortened by 18 %, saccade amplitude increased by 11 %, and gaze-transition entropy rose by 14 %, reflecting broader and more adaptive scanning. The NASA Task Load Index (NASA-TLX), a widely used subjective workload assessment tool, indicated a 27 % reduction in perceived workload. Regression-based sensitivity analysis showed that gaze entropy was the strongest predictor of efficiency in the multi-view condition, whereas fixation duration dominated under merged-view visualization. For path adherence, blink rate was most influential in the multi-view setup (frequent disengagement reduced stability), whereas fixation duration was the primary predictor in the merged-view interface, reflecting steadier gaze and improved control. Overall, merged-view visualization enhanced situational awareness, reduced cognitive tunneling, and provided quantitative guidance for designing safer and more efficient teleoperation interfaces in hazardous mining environments. Complementing this empirical work, a review of VR-based teleoperation approaches highlights the potential of 3D reconstruction methods to create immersive environments with enhanced situational awareness. The review concluded that depth-based reconstruction is most effective for underground mining, while point-cloud modeling is more suitable for surface environments. Together, these findings demonstrate that merged-view visualization reduces cognitive tunneling, enhances safety and efficiency, and that VR approaches may provide the next frontier for advanced teleoperation interfaces in mining.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Kamran Pishhesari, Alireza"],"institution":null,"degree_name":null,"degree_level":"Doctorate Degree","degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Sattarvand, Javad"],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":["Tavakkoli, Alireza","Nesbitt, Carl","Zuza, Andrew","Danko, George"],"year":2025,"date_issued":"2025","date_published":"2025","updated_at":"2026-07-27T21:48:09Z","subjects":["Cognitive load;","eye-tracking","mining industry","mining vehicle teleoperation","safety"],"languages":["en_US","English"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholarwolf.unr.edu/handle/11714/11742","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Sattarvand, Javad"]},{"key":"dc:contributor.committeemember","label":"Committee Member","values":["Tavakkoli, Alireza","Nesbitt, Carl","Zuza, Andrew","Danko, George"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Kamran Pishhesari, Alireza"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2026-01-23T20:44:25Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2026-01-23T20:44:25Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2025"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Doctorate Degree"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Cognitive load;","eye-tracking","mining industry","mining vehicle teleoperation","safety"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["English"]},{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["en_US"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://scholarwolf.unr.edu/handle/11714/11742"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["In mining teleoperation, multi-view visualization systems can improve efficiency and safety but often impose a high cognitive load, causing operators to tunnel attention toward a single view. To explore a more efficient alternative, this study evaluated a merged-view interface that integrates multiple camera perspectives into a single coherent display. In a controlled experiment, 35 participants navigated a teleoperated rover robot along a 50 m simulated underground mine path under both multi-view and merged-view conditions. Task performance and eye-tracking data, including completion time, path adherence, and speed-limit violations, were recorded for comparison. Results showed that the merged-view system enabled 6 % faster completion times, 21 % higher path adherence, and 28 % fewer speed-limit violations. Eye-tracking metrics revealed more efficient and distributed attention in the merged view: blink rate decreased by 29 %, fixation duration shortened by 18 %, saccade amplitude increased by 11 %, and gaze-transition entropy rose by 14 %, reflecting broader and more adaptive scanning. The NASA Task Load Index (NASA-TLX), a widely used subjective workload assessment tool, indicated a 27 % reduction in perceived workload. Regression-based sensitivity analysis showed that gaze entropy was the strongest predictor of efficiency in the multi-view condition, whereas fixation duration dominated under merged-view visualization. For path adherence, blink rate was most influential in the multi-view setup (frequent disengagement reduced stability), whereas fixation duration was the primary predictor in the merged-view interface, reflecting steadier gaze and improved control. Overall, merged-view visualization enhanced situational awareness, reduced cognitive tunneling, and provided quantitative guidance for designing safer and more efficient teleoperation interfaces in hazardous mining environments. Complementing this empirical work, a review of VR-based teleoperation approaches highlights the potential of 3D reconstruction methods to create immersive environments with enhanced situational awareness. The review concluded that depth-based reconstruction is most effective for underground mining, while point-cloud modeling is more suitable for surface environments. Together, these findings demonstrate that merged-view visualization reduces cognitive tunneling, enhances safety and efficiency, and that VR approaches may provide the next frontier for advanced teleoperation interfaces in mining."]},{"key":"dc:format","label":"Dc Format","values":["PDF"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Experimental Evaluation of Merged-View Systems and VR-Based Reconstruction Approaches for Enhanced Mining Vehicle Teleoperation"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Sattarvand, Javad"],"dc:contributor.committeemember":["Tavakkoli, Alireza","Nesbitt, Carl","Zuza, Andrew","Danko, George"],"dc:creator":["Kamran Pishhesari, Alireza"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2026-01-23T20:44:25Z"],"dc:date.available":["2026-01-23T20:44:25Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2025"],"dc:description.abstract":["In mining teleoperation, multi-view visualization systems can improve efficiency and safety but often impose a high cognitive load, causing operators to tunnel attention toward a single view. To explore a more efficient alternative, this study evaluated a merged-view interface that integrates multiple camera perspectives into a single coherent display. In a controlled experiment, 35 participants navigated a teleoperated rover robot along a 50 m simulated underground mine path under both multi-view and merged-view conditions. Task performance and eye-tracking data, including completion time, path adherence, and speed-limit violations, were recorded for comparison. Results showed that the merged-view system enabled 6 % faster completion times, 21 % higher path adherence, and 28 % fewer speed-limit violations. Eye-tracking metrics revealed more efficient and distributed attention in the merged view: blink rate decreased by 29 %, fixation duration shortened by 18 %, saccade amplitude increased by 11 %, and gaze-transition entropy rose by 14 %, reflecting broader and more adaptive scanning. The NASA Task Load Index (NASA-TLX), a widely used subjective workload assessment tool, indicated a 27 % reduction in perceived workload. Regression-based sensitivity analysis showed that gaze entropy was the strongest predictor of efficiency in the multi-view condition, whereas fixation duration dominated under merged-view visualization. For path adherence, blink rate was most influential in the multi-view setup (frequent disengagement reduced stability), whereas fixation duration was the primary predictor in the merged-view interface, reflecting steadier gaze and improved control. Overall, merged-view visualization enhanced situational awareness, reduced cognitive tunneling, and provided quantitative guidance for designing safer and more efficient teleoperation interfaces in hazardous mining environments. Complementing this empirical work, a review of VR-based teleoperation approaches highlights the potential of 3D reconstruction methods to create immersive environments with enhanced situational awareness. The review concluded that depth-based reconstruction is most effective for underground mining, while point-cloud modeling is more suitable for surface environments. Together, these findings demonstrate that merged-view visualization reduces cognitive tunneling, enhances safety and efficiency, and that VR approaches may provide the next frontier for advanced teleoperation interfaces in mining."],"dc:format":["PDF"],"dc:identifier.uri":["https://scholarwolf.unr.edu/handle/11714/11742"],"dc:language":["English"],"dc:language.iso":["en_US"],"dc:subject":["Cognitive load;","eye-tracking","mining industry","mining vehicle teleoperation","safety"],"dc:title":["Experimental Evaluation of Merged-View Systems and VR-Based Reconstruction Approaches for Enhanced Mining Vehicle Teleoperation"],"dc:type":["Dissertation"],"thesis:degree_level":["Doctorate Degree"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-27T21:48:09Z"}