An experimental study of gaze-controlled telepresence robots

Guangtao Zhang, John Paulin Hansen and Katsumi Minakata

Behaviour and Information Technology, 2025, vol. 44, issue 17, 4315-4333

Abstract: Recent advances relating to hands-free interaction methods for the physical control of telepresence robots provide alternatives for conditions where hand-use is not an option. Gaze interaction comes with unique advantages compared to other input methods. However, the use of gaze control for navigating telepresence robots with a head-mounted display (HMD) is a subject that ought to be further explored. Additionally, it is necessary to explore more effective techniques for assessing key metrics in telepresence robot navigation, particularly when evaluating novel interaction methods. In particular, situational awareness (SA) is a key psychological metric, but challenges remain regarding the reliability and validity of its measurement. We conducted an experiment to: 1) compare gaze control with manual control (joystick) of telepresence robots using an HMD; 2) compare two types of SA measurement techniques: a post-trial subjective measure, the Situation Awareness Rating Technique (SART) and our proposed adaptation of an existing real-time objective measure, the Situation Present Assessment Method (SPAM). Results showed that the gaze control method differs significantly from the manual control with a joystick, leading to poorer navigation performance, higher workload, lower SA (SPAM-based measures), and less accurate post-trial estimation and recollection. Regarding the SA techniques, comparison results indicated the SPAM-based method provided more reliable data than the SART questionnaire.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1080/0144929X.2025.2470382

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