Immersive telepresence, when a user views the video stream of a $360^\circ$ camera in a remote environment using a Head Mounted Display (HMD), has great potential to improve the sense of being in a remote environment. In most cases of immersive robotic telepresence, the camera is mounted on a mobile robot which increases the portion of the environment that the remote user can explore. However, robot motions can induce unpleasant symptoms associated with Virtual Reality (VR) sickness, degrading the overall user experience. Previous research has shown that unwinding the rotations of the robot, that is, decoupling the rotations that the camera undergoes due to robot motions from what is seen by the user, can increase user comfort and reduce VR sickness. However, that work considered a virtual environment and a simulated robot. In this work, to test whether the same hypotheses hold when the video stream from a real camera is used, we carried out a user study $(n=36)$ in which the unwinding rotations method was compared against coupled rotations in a task completed through a panoramic camera mounted on a robotic arm. Furthermore, within an inspection task which involved translations and rotations in three dimensions, we tested whether unwinding the robot rotations impacted the performance of users. The results show that the users found the unwinding rotations method to be more comfortable and preferable, and that a reduced level of VR sickness can be achieved without a significant impact on task performance.

We present a novel seated feet controller for handling 3-DoF aimed to control locomotion for telepresence robotics and virtual reality environments. Tilting the feet on two axes yields in forward, backward and sideways motion. In addition, a separate rotary joint allows for rotation around the vertical axis. Attached springs on all joints self-center the controller. The HTC Vive tracker is used to translate the trackers' orientation into locomotion commands. The proposed self-centering feet controller was used successfully for the ANA Avatar XPRIZE competition, where a naive operator traversed the robot through a longer distance, surpassing obstacles while solving various interaction and manipulation tasks in between. We publicly provide the models of the mostly 3D-printed feet controller for reproduction.

Abstract-- This paper discusses the necessary considerations and adjustments that allow a recently proposed avatar system architecture to be used with different robotic avatar morphologies (both wheeled and legged robots with various types of hands and kinematic structures) for the purpose of enabling remote (intercontinental) telepresence under communication bandwidth restrictions. The case studies reported involve robots using both position and torque control modes, independently of their software middleware. In Walt Disney's carousel of progress, actions of an actor wearing a "control harness" are pre-recorded on tapes and The actions and facial expressions, when played back, are almost life-like inspiring awe in the audience. Even with the lack of feedback to the actor, and the limited distance covered, this represents an early example (being now a 60-if; (i) on the operator side; the feeling of being present year-old attraction) of a telerobotic application. For instance, applications thus necessitate both manipulation and/or there needs to be a "face" encouraging social interaction locomotion capabilities on the part of the robotic avatar.

The ANA Avatar XPRIZE was a four-year competition to develop a robotic "avatar" system to allow a human operator to sense, communicate, and act in a remote environment as though physically present. The competition featured a unique requirement that judges would operate the avatars after less than one hour of training on the human-machine interfaces, and avatar systems were judged on both objective and subjective scoring metrics. This paper presents a unified summary and analysis of the competition from technical, judging, and organizational perspectives. We study the use of telerobotics technologies and innovations pursued by the competing teams in their avatar systems, and correlate the use of these technologies with judges' task performance and subjective survey ratings. It also summarizes perspectives from team leads, judges, and organizers about the competition's execution and impact to inform the future development of telerobotics and telepresence.

Robotic avatar systems can enable immersive telepresence with locomotion, manipulation, and communication capabilities. We present such an avatar system, based on the key components of immersive 3D visualization and transparent force-feedback telemanipulation. Our avatar robot features an anthropomorphic upper body with dexterous hands. The remote human operator drives the arms and fingers through an exoskeleton-based operator station, which provides force feedback both at the wrist and for each finger. The robot torso is mounted on a holonomic base, providing omnidirectional locomotion on flat floors, controlled using a 3D rudder device. Finally, the robot features a 6D movable head with stereo cameras, which stream images to a VR display worn by the operator. Movement latency is hidden using spherical rendering. The head also carries a telepresence screen displaying an animated image of the operator's face, enabling direct interaction with remote persons. Our system won the \$10M ANA Avatar XPRIZE competition, which challenged teams to develop intuitive and immersive avatar systems that could be operated by briefly trained judges. We analyze our successful participation in the semifinals and finals and provide insight into our operator training and lessons learned. In addition, we evaluate our system in a user study that demonstrates its intuitive and easy usability.

This paper introduces HoloBots, a mixed reality remote collaboration system that augments holographic telepresence with synchronized mobile robots. Beyond existing mixed reality telepresence, HoloBots lets remote users not only be visually and spatially present, but also physically engage with local users and their environment. HoloBots allows the users to touch, grasp, manipulate, and interact with the remote physical environment as if they were co-located in the same shared space. We achieve this by synchronizing holographic user motion (Hololens 2 and Azure Kinect) with tabletop mobile robots (Sony Toio). Beyond the existing physical telepresence, HoloBots contributes to an exploration of broader design space, such as object actuation, virtual hand physicalization, world-in-miniature exploration, shared tangible interfaces, embodied guidance, and haptic communication. We evaluate our system with twelve participants by comparing it with hologram-only and robot-only conditions. Both quantitative and qualitative results confirm that our system significantly enhances the level of co-presence and shared experience, compared to the other conditions.

Join gaming executives to discuss emerging parts of the industry this October at GamesBeat Summit Next. The world of technology is rapidly shifting from flat media viewed in the third person to immersive media experienced in the first person. Recently dubbed "the metaverse," this major transition in mainstream computing has ignited a new wave of excitement over the core technologies of virtual and augmented reality. But there is a third technology area known as telepresence that is often overlooked but will become an important part of the metaverse. While virtual reality brings users into simulated worlds, telepresence (also called telerobotics) uses remote robots to bring users to distant places, giving them the ability to look around and perform complex tasks.

The coronavirus pandemic completely disrupted the global travel industry. While things are slowly opening up, the current situation of world affairs makes travel returning to its former glory seem a rather far-fetched idea. But wouldn't it be nice to be able to'be there' without actually being there? Like take a tour at the famous Singapore museum or attend an important press conference across the continent or participate in your best friend's wedding all from the comfort of your home? Well, that's the idea behind telepresence, a technology that has been making waves in the market for a while.

Zach uses a robot called a Swivl; Thomas uses one called an Owl. Both are types of telepresence robots or smart videoconferencing computers with microphones and speakers attached. Others stand in the classroom or even roll around. This technology has become increasingly popular in K-12 classrooms during the pandemic thanks to hybrid or blended learning models, where some students are in the classroom while others watch from home. The big difference between a robot and a conventional camera is that the robot follows action and sound -- spinning as much as 360 degrees, so students at home can see more than a static shot of the classroom.

Over 66 different kinds of "social" robots have been piloted in hospitals, health centers, airports, office buildings, and other public and private spaces in response to the pandemic, according to a study from researchers at the Autonomous University of Barcelona and Pompeu Fabra University. Their survey of 195 robot deployments across 35 countries including China, the U.S., Thailand, and Hong Kong found "clear expansion" in the use of robots that perform roles directly addressing the need for distancing and physical isolation, like those that support hospital staff and deliver food. It's not surprising the worsening COVID-19 health crisis is hastening the adoption of certain robots and drones. They require disinfection but promise to minimize the risk of spreading disease, which is critical in health care settings. The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control estimates that health care workers represent over 25% of diagnosed COVID-19 cases in some parts of the world.