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The general problem addressed in this paper is supporting a more efficient communication between remote users, who control telepresence robots, and people in the local setting. The design of most telepresence robots does not allow them to perform gestures. Given the key role of pointing in human communication, exploring design solutions for providing telepresence robots with deictic gesturing capabilities is, arguably, a timely research issue for Human-Robot Interaction. To address this issue, we conducted an empirical study, in which a set of low fidelity prototypes, illustrating various designs of a robot's gesture arm, were assessed by the participants (N=18). The study employed a mixed-method approach, a combination of a controlled experiment, elicitation study, and design provocation. The evidence collected in the study reveals participants' assessment of the designs, used in the study, and provides insights into parti.cipants' attitudes and expectations regarding gestural communication with telepresence robots in general.

Robotic telepresence technologies are becoming ever more usable and affordable, as well as increasingly available as consumer products. In the coming years, a significant number of people are likely to encounter the technology for the first time, and many, if not most, of them are going to be “non-technical” users, that is, people who do not have special technical knowledge and skills of IT-professionals. Therefore, understanding how nontechnical users are getting familiar with robotic telepresence technology, how they perceive the technology, learn to control it, and relate it to their everyday work practices, is a topical research issue. This paper reports an empirical study, in which eight non-technical users, office workers who were not IT-professionals, were introduced to robotic telepresence and provided with a practical experience of acting as pilots of a remotely controlled robot. In follow up interviews the participants were asked to reflect on potential uses of the technology in their professional activities. The participants could successfully acquire basic navigation skills and reached a high level of spatial presence, but experienced problems with developing a "new body image”. When reflecting on the potential of the technology for supporting their work, the participants envisioned a number of benefits associated with remote physical mobility. The impact of the technology on the quality of workrelated social interactions was expected to be generally positive but somewhat limited.

Robotic telepresence (RT)-technologies enable users' to be physically and socially present in a remote environment. These systems consist of a robot with a base with wheels, cameras, speakers, microphones, and a monitor, remotely controlled via a computer. It is common for robotic telepresence systems to support multiple input devices, including keyboard, mouse, and game controller. However, to the authors' knowledge, there are no studies that have investigated the differences between the devices. This study investigates how four different input devices, mouse, game controller, and keyboard, affect performance and experience. The study consists of a controlled experiment where participants navigated a track with the four different input devices. Outlined in this article is a mixed-method study aimed to uncover the complexity of input devices, how various interaction design factors affect the performance, and the users' experience of different input devices. The study found the keyboard and game controller to be the overall best devices. Furthermore, this article highlights a need to understand how abilities received from previous experiences transfer to the usage of RT-technology.

Most robotic telepresence systems are severely limited in their ability to physically interact with surrounding objects. The solution we propose, "double remote control", or DRC, is to make it possible for the user controlling the telepresence robot ("the pilot"), to also remotely control objects in the robot's physical environment. This paper reports a user experience study, comparing a Wizard of Oz-style prototype of a DRC-enabled environment with a control condition, in which DRC was not enabled. The participants, who acted as either remote pilots (NP=16) or local people in the robot's proximity (NLP=16), were asked to carry out joint activities in each of these conditions. It was found that DRC had a generally positive effect on how participants, and especially pilots, performed their tasks, but the impact of DRC on the social context of interaction was mixed.

This paper reports a study of pilots of a robotic telepresence system, exploring the relationship between the pilots' experience of physical presence, overall user experience, and task parameters. The pilots (N=12) performed a set of tasks characterized by different Task Focus (Process vs. Outcome) and Navigation Difficulty (Low vs. High); their experience was assessed by using a set of subjective rating scales. It was found that the experience of being physically present in a remote location positively correlated with self-reported gaming skills, objective indicators of navigation efficiency, as well as feelings of being safe and relaxed. No significant effects of task focus and navigation difficulty were found.