Immersive Robotic Telepresence for Remote Educational Scenarios

Jean Botev and Francisco J. Rodríguez Lera
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Jean Botev: Department of Computer Science, University of Luxembourg, L-4364 Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
Francisco J. Rodríguez Lera: Department of Mechanical, Informatics and Aerospace Engineering, University of León, 24071 León, Spain

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 9, 1-21

Abstract: Social robots have an enormous potential for educational applications and allow for cognitive outcomes that are similar to those with human involvement. Remotely controlling a social robot to interact with students and peers in an immersive fashion opens up new possibilities for instructors and learners alike. Using immersive approaches can promote engagement and have beneficial effects on remote lesson delivery and participation. However, the performance and power consumption associated with the involved devices are often not sufficiently contemplated, despite being particularly important in light of sustainability considerations. The contributions of this research are thus twofold. On the one hand, we present telepresence solutions for a social robot’s location-independent operation using (a) a virtual reality headset with controllers and (b) a mobile augmented reality application. On the other hand, we perform a thorough analysis of their power consumption and system performance, discussing the impact of employing the various technologies. Using the QTrobot as a platform, direct and immersive control via different interaction modes, including motion, emotion, and voice output, is possible. By not focusing on individual subsystems or motor chains, but the cumulative energy consumption of an unaltered robot performing remote tasks, this research provides orientation regarding the actual cost of deploying immersive robotic telepresence solutions.

Keywords: social robotics; education; immersive telepresence; teleoperation; virtual reality; augmented reality; mobile computing; human–robot interaction; user interface design (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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