Development of a Teleoperation System Enabling Operator-Robot Dialogue for Reducing Operator Boredom during Long-Duration Tasks

Abstract

Teleoperated social robots have been attracting attention for their ability to improve the efficiency of dialogue tasks.However, during long-duration operations, operators experience boredom due to monotony and idle time, leading to decreased task motivation.In this study, we proposed that enabling operators to engage in dialogue with the robot they are operating could reduce their sense of boredom.The objectives of this study were to: (1) implement a teleoperation system with generative dialogue capabilities using large language models that enable flexible conversations suitable for extended use, and (2) verify the effectiveness of operator-robot dialogue in reducing operator boredom.A 14-day field experiment, in which each participant operated a robot for 5 hours, demonstrated that our implemented system significantly reduced operator boredom.The results suggest that operator-robot dialogue mitigates operator boredom during long-duration operations and may contribute to maintaining task motivation.This paper provides insights for improving operator comfort in practical uses of teleoperated social robots.