“I am both here and there” Parallel Control of Multiple Robotic Avatars by Disabled Workers in a Café

Barbareschi, Giulia; Kawaguchi, Midori; Kato, Hiroaki; Nagahiro, Masato; Takeuchi, Kazuaki; Shiiba, Yoshifumi; Kasahara, Shunichi; Kunze, Kai; Minamizawa, Kouta

doi:10.1145/3544548.3581124

Cited by 14 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 90 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Numerous studies have explored different design facets for user-friendly and approachable hardware and interfaces ( Colella et al, 2019 ; Schwarz et al, 2021 ; Dafarra et al, 2022 ; Erp et al, 2022 ; Zand, Ren & Arif, 2022 ; Barbareschi et al, 2023a ; Behnke, Adams & Locke, 2023 ; Lenz et al, 2023 ). At the ANA Avatar XPRIZE competition, many robotic avatar systems were developed and evaluated based on their support for remotely interaction with humans ( Behnke, Adams & Locke, 2023 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…NimbRo, the prize-winning avatar system ( Schwarz et al, 2021 ; Schwarz et al, 2023 ; Lenz et al, 2023 ) is capable of remotely interacting with humans and performing such complex tasks as jointly solving a puzzle, exploring an artifact by touching it, and using a drill. Barbareschi et al (2023a) presented a parallel control system allowing disabled workers in a café to embody multiple robotic avatars at the same time to carry out different tasks. Zhang, Hansen & Minakata (2019) proposed a mobile telepresence robot that can be controlled by the eye-gaze movements of people with motor disabilities.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The experience of a tele-operated avatar being touched increases operator’s sense of discomfort

Kimoto,

Shiomi

2024

PeerJ Computer Science

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Recent advancements in tele-operated avatars, both on-screen and robotic, have expanded opportunities for human interaction that exceed spatial and physical limitations. While numerous studies have enhanced operator control and improved the impression left on remote users, one area remains underexplored: the experience of operators during touch interactions between an avatar and a remote interlocutor. Touch interactions have become commonplace with avatars, especially those displayed on or integrated with touchscreen interfaces. Although the need for avatars to exhibit human-like touch responses has been recognized as beneficial for maintaining positive impressions on remote users, the sensations and experiences of the operators behind these avatars during such interactions remain largely uninvestigated. This study examines the sensations felt by an operator when their tele-operated avatar is touched remotely. Our findings reveal that operators can perceive a sensation of discomfort when their on-screen avatar is touched. This feeling is intensified when the touch is visualized and the avatar reacts to it. Although these autonomous responses may enhance the human-like perceptions of remote users, they might also lead to operator discomfort. This situation underscores the importance of designing avatars that address the experiences of both remote users and operators. We address this issue by proposing a tele-operated avatar system that minimizes unwarranted touch interactions from unfamiliar interlocutors based on social intimacy.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The experience of a tele-operated avatar being touched increases operator’s sense of discomfort

Kimoto,

Shiomi

2024

PeerJ Computer Science

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Robots and Social Sustainability

Indurkhya,

Sienkiewicz

2024

Springer Proceedings in Advanced Robotics

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Intuitive and Interactive Robotic Avatar System for Tele-Existence: TEAM SNU in the ANA Avatar XPRIZE Finals

Park,

Kim,

Lim

et al. 2024

Int J of Soc Robotics

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Avatar robots enable the teleoperation and telepresence of an operator with a rich and meaningful sense of existence in another location. Robotic avatar systems rely on intuitive interactions to afford operators comfortable and accurate robot control to perform various tasks. The ability of operators to feel immersed within a robot has drawn interest in multiple research fields to explore the future capabilities of such systems. This paper presents a robotic avatar system based on a custom humanoid robot, TOCABI, with a mobile base. Its teleoperation system was developed in response to the ANA Avatar XPRIZE. Combining the life-size humanoid robot and the mobile base allows for improved mobility and dexterous manipulation. The robotic avatar system comprises the robot/base and an operator station that incorporates haptic feedback devices, trackers, a head-mounted display, gloves, and pedals. These devices connect the robot-environment interaction and operator-avatar robot experience through visual, auditory, tactile, haptic, and kinesthetic feedback. Combining the untethered battery-operated and Wi-Fi-enabled robot with these sensory experiences enables intuitive control through the operator’s body movement. The performance of the robotic avatar system was evaluated through user studies and demonstrated in the ANA Avatar XPRIZE Finals, represented by Team SNU, where it completed 8 of the 10 missions, placing the team eighth among the 17 finalists.

show abstract

“I am both here and there” Parallel Control of Multiple Robotic Avatars by Disabled Workers in a Café

Cited by 14 publications

References 90 publications

The experience of a tele-operated avatar being touched increases operator’s sense of discomfort

The experience of a tele-operated avatar being touched increases operator’s sense of discomfort

Robots and Social Sustainability

Intuitive and Interactive Robotic Avatar System for Tele-Existence: TEAM SNU in the ANA Avatar XPRIZE Finals

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About