Presentation of (telepresent) self: On the double-edged effects of mirrors

Abstract

Mobile remote presence systems present new opportunities and challenges for physically distributed people to meet and work together. One of the challenges observed from a couple of years of using Texai, a mobile remote presence (MRP) system, is that remote operators are often unaware of how they present themselves through the MRP. Problems arise when remote operators are not clearly visible through the MRP video display; this mistake makes the MRP operators look like anonymous intruders into the local space rather than approachable colleagues. To address this problem, this study explores the effects of visual feedback for remote teleoperators, using a controlled experiment in which mirrors were either present or absent in the local room with the MRP system (N=24). Participants engaged in a warm-up remote communication task followed by a remote driving task. Compared to mirrors-absent participants, mirrors-present participants were more visible on the MRP screens and practiced navigating longer. However, the mirrors-present participants also reported experiencing more frustration and having less fun. Implications for theory and design are discussed.

Design Challenges and Guidelines for Social Interaction Using Mobile Telepresence Robots

“…However, a larger screen size does not automatically imply a user’s facial expression will be visible. Takayama and Harris (2013) observed over several years that users of Texai systems, with a 15-inch display, were not always visible to interactants and bystanders. Visibility of user facial expression depends on the lighting around the interface, the user’s distance from the camera, and horizontal and vertical positioning.…”

“…The user may be positioned with a bright window behind his or her desk or could have a desk lamp nearby. With a poor image of the user, interactants and bystanders may feel that the telepresence robot is instead a security patrol (Takayama & Harris, 2013). A user’s facial expression may be incorrectly perceived by interactants and bystanders if the user is positioned too far back from the camera.…”

“…The same is true for poor body posture and orientation that is not perpendicular to the screen. Takayama and Harris (2013) investigated an environmental augmentation with mirrors as a means of visual feedback; this manipulation was in addition to the standard picture-in-picture self-view. For the design of telepresence robot systems, computer vision research in automatic lighting control (Sun, Liu, Qiu, Zhang, & Sinclair, 2009) or other computer vision techniques to enhance the image directly (Chen, Chi, Hsu, & Chen, 2003; Dhall, Sharma, Bhatt, & Khan, 2009; Mangiat & Gibson, 2009; Shi, Yu, Li, & Li, 2004; van der Schaar & Lin, 2001; Zhao, Georganas, & Petriu, 2010) may be useful.…”

Human-Robot Interaction in Groups

“…For example, telepresence robots enable geographically dispersed teams to communicate more effectively [23]. By using robots to represent dispersed group members, these members can have a greater sense of social presence during group discussions, which facilitates social interactions between members in different locations [15].…”