Host: The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers
Name : [in Japanese]
Date : September 15, 2021 - September 17, 2021
During the COVID-19 pandemic, most of the interpersonal communication is conducted remotely. The insufficiency of discussion on achieving tele-immersion with others in a real place is also revealed. There is a need for improving the remote participation experience of communication in real places to meet the spiritual needs arising from the increase of remote communication in daily life.
We analyzed the elements which make up the unique value that could only be achieved through onsite communication, and the importance of spatial information is emphasized in this study. A concept of realizing a greater sense of freedom in spatial cognition and expression during the communication with others in real space is proposed by using avatar robots. We then designed a system that enables people to build stronger connections with the communication space in reality through remote connection. The prototyping, verification and validation of this system was conducted using Pepper robots and we discussed the directions for further improvement.
