This research aims to find distinct and crucial factors needed in order to design a better robot through exploring the meaning of movement. The researcher conducted six-weeks of iterative work to collect data via an ethnographic method. The researcher examined the interactions between a telepresence robot and human beings in an authentic environment through the collected data and analyzed it based on proxemics theory. The research observed that the robot was given social space when it approached the participants with pauses in between movements. Furthermore, the research introduces proxemics pivot and its notion. Proxemics pivot refers to the part of the robot that people perceive as a standard point when they adjust the proximity between the robot and themselves. The proxemics pivot was considered “a face” and was attributed social properties; the other parts of the robot did not receive the same consideration.

Videoconferencing is one of the most common telepresence methods today and educational videos is rising in popularity among distance learners. Traditional videoconferencing is unable to convey gestures and mutual eye contact between participants. This study aim to propose a Virtual Reality telepresence solution using game engines. A literature study confirmed the effectiveness achieved in VR is comparable to the effectiveness in face-to-face meetings. The suggested solution implements whiteboard functionality from a real-life perspective, confirming it is possible to include new functionality and directly transfer old functionality to the VR system from the communication systems today. The system was evaluated based on the response time, packet loss, bandwidth, frame rate and through user tests. The evaluation shows it is possible to design a telepresence system with VR capable of passing the Turing Test for Telepresence. The participants of the user tests did not experience discomfort and they were positively inclined to the telepresence system. Though, discomfort may emerge if the VR character is used with a common office workstation. Future studies in this topic would involve modifications of the third person camera, making the head's rotation follow the direction of the camera view and implementing movable eye pupils on the VR character using the upcoming eye-tracking accessory.

Les robots de téléprésence sont proposés à des étudiants dont la maladie, l’hospitalisation ou la situation de handicap, empêche la présence physique en classe. La mise en place de cette technologie, s’inscrit dans une logique d’inclusion scolaire, visant une forme de présence de l’étudiant, dans un établissement scolaire ou universitaire dit « ordinaire ». Cependant, aucune étude préalable n’a été réalisée pour rendre compte des dimensions inclusives de cette technologie dans un contexte éducatif. La présence d’un étudiant, médiatisée par un dispositif de téléprésence, démultiplie les espaces d’interactions qui se trouvent situés dans des environnements à la fois physiques et numériques. En effet, l’étudiant utilisateur du robot de téléprésence, dispose de possibilités d’actions dans un environnement distant, qu’il produit à travers un environnement numérique. Cette situation inédite révèle des espaces potentiels de perception et d’action sur le monde et transforme la modalité de présence de l’utilisateur. L’objectif de cette recherche est de proposer une conceptualisation des enjeux de l’utilisation de ce dispositif, dans une visée d’inclusion scolaire. Il s’agit d’une théorisation qui est ancrée dans l’expérience vécue par des étudiants qui utilisent un robot de téléprésence pour des raisons de santé, afin de participer à leurs enseignements. La compréhension de ces expériences subjectives des utilisateurs, assure l’ancrage empirique de notre conceptualisation, dont les résultats mettent en avant les concepts centraux de perception et d’action, qui s’inscrivent dans le concept de présence. Ainsi, dans un contexte d’enseignement configuré en présentiel et médiatisé par un robot de téléprésence, l’inclusion scolaire de l’étudiant utilisateur, se rapporte à une renégociation perceptive réciproque, de la coprésence de l’utilisateur et de l’environnement distant. / Telepresence robots are offered to students whose illness, hospitalization or disability, prevents physical presence in the classroom. The implementation of this technology, is part of a logic of inclusive education, aimed at a form of presence of the student, in a school or university called "ordinary". However, no prior study has been done to account for the inclusive dimensions of this technology in an educational context. The presence of a student, mediated by a device of telepresence, multiplies the spaces of interactions which are located in environments both physical and digital. Indeed, the student user of the telepresence robot has the possibility of actions in a remote environment, which he produces through a digital environment. This unprecedented situation reveals potential spaces of perception and action on the world and transforms the modality of presence of the user. The objective of this research is to propose a conceptualization of the stakes of the use of this device, in a goal of inclusive education. It is a theorization that is rooted in the experience of students using a telepresence robot for health reasons, to participate in their teachings. The understanding of these subjective experiences of the users, ensures the empirical anchoring of our conceptualization, whose results put forward the central concepts of perception and action, which are part of the concept of presence. Thus, in a context of teaching configured face-to-face and mediated by a telepresence robot, the student's inclusion in the classroom, refers to a reciprocal perceptual renegotiation, the co-presence of the user and the remote environment.

Virtual Reality (VR) has gained tremendous interest within the last decades and is rapidlybecoming a disruptive marketing tool across all industries. Predictions show that the VR marketis expected to reach a staggering US$120 billion by 2026 (Fortune Business Insights, 2019).While previous research has investigated the impact of VR on consumer attitudes, theconnection between its immersive characteristic, i.e. telepresence (Steuer, 1992), and thecomplexity of consumer attitudes (Eagly & Chaiken, 1993), is still relatively unknown. Hence,this paper addresses the discrepancy in extant literature by applying a qualitative researchapproach. We conduct in-depth interviews using a quasi-experiment design, displaying anapartment through 2D (pictures) and followingly 3D stimuli (VR). The increased telepresencefrom VR and its impact on participants’ responses towards the apartment is thereby captured.Results show that both technological variables of telepresence (vividness & interactivity) arepositively influential in the three-dimensional spectrum of consumer responses (affective,cognitive & conative). Moreover, this study reveals that telepresence contributes to enhancedproduct knowledge, produces a hedonic experience and aids in decision-making. Conclusively,managerial recommendations are provided, detailing aspects to consider before implementingsuch immersive technologies.

Virtual Reality (VR) has gained tremendous interest within the last decades and is rapidly becoming a disruptive marketing tool across all industries. Predictions show that the VR market is expected to reach a staggering US$120 billion by 2026 (Fortune Business Insights, 2019). While previous research has investigated the impact of VR on consumer attitudes, the connection between its immersive characteristic, i.e. telepresence (Steuer, 1992), and the complexity of consumer attitudes (Eagly & Chaiken, 1993), is still relatively unknown. Hence, this paper addresses the discrepancy in extant literature by applying a qualitative research approach. We conduct in-depth interviews using a quasi-experiment design, displaying an apartment through 2D (pictures) and followingly 3D stimuli (VR). The increased telepresence from VR and its impact on participants’ responses towards the apartment is thereby captured. Results show that both technological variables of telepresence (vividness & interactivity) are positively influential in the three-dimensional spectrum of consumer responses (affective, cognitive & conative). Moreover, this study reveals that telepresence contributes to enhanced product knowledge, produces a hedonic experience and aids in decision-making. Conclusively, managerial recommendations are provided, detailing aspects to consider before implementing such immersive technologies.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Just as physical appearance affects persuasion and compliance in human communication, it may also bias the processing of information from avatars, computer-animated characters, and other computer interfaces with faces. Although the most persuasive of these interfaces are often the most humanlike, they incur the greatest risk of falling into the uncanny valley, the loss of empathy associated with eerily human characters. The uncanny valley could delay the acceptance of humanlike interfaces in everyday roles. To determine the extent to which the uncanny valley affects persuasion, two experiments were conducted online with undergraduates from Indiana University. The first experiment (N = 426) presented an ethical dilemma followed by the advice of an authority figure. The authority was manipulated in three ways: depiction (recorded or animated), motion quality (smooth or jerky), and recommendation (disclose or refrain from disclosing sensitive information). Of these, only the recommendation changed opinion about the dilemma, even though the animated depiction was eerier than the human depiction. These results indicate that compliance with an authority persists even when using a realistic computer-animated double. The second experiment (N = 311) assigned one of two different dilemmas in professional ethics involving the fate of a humanlike character. In addition to the dilemma, there were three manipulations of the character’s human realism: depiction (animated human or humanoid robot), voice (recorded or synthesized), and motion quality (smooth or jerky). In one dilemma, decreasing depiction realism or increasing voice realism increased eeriness. In the other dilemma, increasing depiction realism decreased perceived competence. However, in both dilemmas realism had no significant effect on whether to punish the character. Instead, the willingness to punish was predicted in both dilemmas by narratively characterized trustworthiness. Together, the experiments demonstrate both direct and indirect effects of narratives on responses to humanlike interfaces. The effects of human realism are inconsistent across different interactions, and the effects of the uncanny valley may be suppressed through narrative characterization.

No description available.

Two common problems in Remote Guidance applications include the remote guides lack of direct control over their view into the worker’s physical environment and the difficulties that arise with trying to place virtual 3D objects in a real 3D environment,via a moving, shaky, 2D image.The first issue can be called a lack of remote spatial awareness, the guide can see only what the worker enables them to see. In the worst case the guide is rendered blind to the task environment while the worker is unable to use their device. A common occurrence is tasks that require both hands.The second issue arises from the inherent difficulty present in trying to correctly place a 3D object using only a limited perspective. Camera shake and unreliable tracking of the physical environment being depicted only further add to this problem. Studies show that 3D annotations make for much more effective means of communication, especially in 3D task environments. Allowing the guide some measure of control over their own view has also been shown to improve the guides ability to aid their partner. This paper investigates a method of Remote Guidance where the task of environment tracking and object placement are separated. A prototype application is developed and tested against a baseline 2D-annotation Remote Guidance tool. The study finds the prototype to be an effective way of placing virtual 3D objects in a remote environment. Experimental results show that communication is indeed made better by the inclusion of 3D objects into Remote Guidance. This comes at the cost of a slight increase in the timetaken to complete a task as the complexity of the 3D tool is greater than the 2D one. Unfortunately, the experiment performed fails to properly account for remote spatial awareness.

Spontaneous interactions and chance encounters are important for establishing a sense of connection and shared identity for colleagues since they are a natural possibility for informal conversations, but when work is moved from the physical shared offices to digital workplaces it is no longer as easy to run into a colleague by the coffee machine and just chat for a couple of minutes. This thesis examines what factors are needed in order to create a structure where digital spontaneous interactions could happen. To do this, ten interviews were conducted with people who had been working from home during the pandemic of Covid19, examining what structures for communication and socialisation already existed and that were used. The study showed that the social aspects of work had been missing when the work was done from home and not from the office. It also showed that organized social activities was common among the interviewees, but not always successful nor popular. The study found few workplaces that had created structures that could be the start of establishing possibilities for spontaneous interactions and chance encounters. By taking inspiration from those cases, and looking at previous research, the study found three main factors for creating spontaneous interactions. Creating passive awareness of colleagues; finding ways to present availability; and establishing digital communal areas were all important factors for creating spontaneous interactions. / Spontana interaktioner är viktiga för att skapa en sammanhållning och delad identitet mellan kollegor eftersom de ger en naturlig möjlighet för informella konversationer, men när arbetet flyttas från de fysiska kontoren till digitala arbetsplatser är det inte längre lika enkelt att träffa på en kollega i fikarummet och prata en liten stund. Den här uppsatsen undersöker vilka faktorer som krävs för att skapa kommunikationsstrukturer där spontana interaktioner skulle kunna ske. Tio intervjuer genomfördes med personer som hade arbetat hemifrån under Covid19 pandemin, för att undersöka vilka strukturer för kommunikation och socialisering som redan existerade och utnyttjades. Studien visade att de sociala aspekterna av arbetet hade saknats under hemarbetsperioden, samt att organiserade sociala aktiviteter var vanliga men inte nödvändigtvis lyckade eller populära att delta i. Ett tydligt gap mellan behov och tillgång, där några arbetsplatser gjort försök att minska klyfta. Med inspiration från de fallen, i kombination med resultat från tidigare forskning, lyckades studien hitta tre huvudfaktorer som behöver tas i åtanke för att kunna skapa digitala spontana interaktioner. Att skapa passiv medvetenhet för kollegor; hur man presenterar om en kollega är tillgänglig för kommunikation; och att skapa gemensamma utrymmen är viktigt för att ge möjlighet till spontana interaktioner.

This work presents a research in the field of robotic visual telepresence. At the beginning explains the principle of teleprezence and it makes classification of robots according to their properties and concepts. Furthermore, there is a review of modern existing robots. The following chapter discusses the human visual system, the basic parameters and functions including parameters of head movements. Subsequently have been selected critical parameters for visual telepresence. At the conclusion of the theoretical part were designed some experiments to validation of human body biological parameters. In the practical part was conducted measuring the extent and speed of head movements, eye distinction depending on the lighting and measurement of visual field man. Also, a series of experiments was performed for practical technical embodiment of the telepresence system rescue robot for class Orpheus.