Communicating Through A Telepresence Robot

Abstract

Telepresence robots have the potential to better replicate the qualities of in-person interactions than traditional communication tools, however, there are few studies of their use in domestic contexts. In our study, we explored how two long distance couples used commercially available telepresence robots called Beam® Smart Presence systems (Beam+ model) for one month, and collected data from three semi-structured interviews per couple. Analysis revealed the importance of four aspects of telepresence robot communication: 1. Autonomy, 2. Unpredictability, 3. Movement as body language, and 4. Perspectives. These insights provide a preliminary understanding of the use of telepresence robots for communication in LDRs, and can be used to inform future design work.