Effects of Network Communication Delay on the Performance of Educational-Support Robots

Abstract

In recent years, educational-support robots that assist human learning have attracted increasing attention, and various studies have reported their effectiveness. Efforts are also underway to promote the broader use of these robots through network-based services, including the development of the Robot Service Network Protocol (RSNP), a communication protocol specifically designed for robotic applications. However, when deploying educational support robots over a network, communication delays―such as those caused by receiving questions or instructional content―may cause stress for learners. In network-based services, Quality of Experience (QoE), which reflects the user’s subjective perception, is a critical factor. Despite this, previous studies on educational-support robots have not addressed QoE evaluation. Therefore, this paper proposes a networked educational-support robot system based on RSNP and investigates the impact of content presentation delays on learners. In our experiment, two question display methods―one synchronized with RSNP reception timing and the other using a fixed delay―were randomly presented to participants. The QoE was then evaluated through subjective assessments provided by the learners.