ScalableBody: a telepresence robot that supports face position matching using a vertical actuator

Abstract

Seeing one's partner's face during remote conversation is one of the most important factors for effective communication. When using a telepresence robot, matching face positions with one's partner is sometimes difficult, because face position varies in different situations (e.g., standing or sitting). However, existing telepresence robots cannot change their height. Moreover, due to limited camera angle, the conversation partner's face is often partly cut off in the camera view. Therefore, users cannot communicate while seeing each other's faces. To overcome these problems, we designed a telepresence robot called ScalableBody. ScalableBody has a vertical actuator that allows it to change its height and an omnidirectional camera that provides a wide view. The robot facilitates communication for different contexts using vertical actuation to match the conversation partners' face positions. Furthermore, the operator can see a partner's face in any direction through an omnidirectional camera. This approach can also provide users with the experience of being a different height, as if a giant or a child. In this paper, we describe the vertical actuator mechanism and report our user study on the telepresence robot.