Communication Delay Thresholds for Effective Teleoperation in a Mobility System

In this study, a threshold of communication delay was investigated for remote teleoperation of a mobility system. A human-in-the-loop experiment with 20 participants varied the delay from 0 to 900 ms. Results indicate that teleoperation performance remains stable up to 300 ms but degrades thereafter, with path tracking error increasing (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.001). Time analysis shows that, beyond 400 ms, operators tend to prioritize completion over safety, leading to faster speeds but reduced consistency. Collision frequency also rises significantly after 300 ms. These findings suggest that careful risk assessment is needed when communication delays approach 300 ms.