Mediated Visits: Longitudinal Domestic Dwelling with Mobile Robotic Telepresence

Title of the Paper

Mediated Visits: Longitudinal Domestic Dwelling with Mobile Robotic Telepresence

Paper Information

• Subject Area: Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Mobile Robotic Telepresence (MRP), Intimate Interaction in Domestic Environments
• Keywords: Mobile Robotic Telepresence, Video Communication, Family Interaction, Mediated Intimacy, Longitudinal Study, Autonomy, Everyday Dwelling, Human-Computer Interaction

Research Background and Problems

• Problems or Challenges:

  • Video communication technologies have been widely used to foster intimate connections among family members, but there is a lack of research exploring the specific effects of long-term use of Mobile Robotic Telepresence (MRP) in domestic environments.
  • Current studies predominantly focus on the use of MRP in medical, educational, and workplace settings, neglecting its application in family contexts.
  • Previous research often emphasizes how technology mimics face-to-face interactions, with less attention paid to users' actual experiences in domestic scenarios.

• Significance:

  • During the COVID-19 pandemic, face-to-face interactions were limited, highlighting the importance of remote communication in supporting intimate relationships.
  • Using MRP in domestic environments may offer new forms of everyday interaction, such as enabling remote users to autonomously explore the environment.

• Motivation and Related Work:

  • Based on a long-term autobiographical study, the authors aim to uncover interaction patterns of MRP in real domestic settings and how it effectively supports remote intimate interactions ("dwelling intimacy").
  • Related work indicates that family video communication is not only used for conversation but also for emotional exchange and daily participation; the mobility of MRP may further support these forms of interaction.

Solutions

• Research Methods:

  • Employing an autobiographical long-term ethnographic approach, the study records MRP interactions between the researcher and their family, partner, and friends.
  • Analyzing everyday interaction details through multimodal conversation analysis and ethnomethodological perspectives.

• Innovations:

  • Emphasizing the unique interaction capabilities of MRP (e.g., autonomous mobility, multi-angle observation) rather than focusing solely on its similarity to face-to-face interaction.
  • Investigating "dwelling intimacy" in close relationships without presupposing whether MRP mimics face-to-face interaction.

• Implementation Steps and Techniques:

  • Deploying dual robotic telepresence devices (Double 3) to enable remote users to interact with local users through visual, auditory, and autonomous mobility capabilities.
  • Collecting video recordings of 23 MRP visits to study typical interaction events (e.g., "arrivals," "departures," and co-participation in daily activities).
  • Using EMCA to analyze interaction details, such as how MRP facilitates joint attention and expressions of intimacy.

Research Findings

• Specific Findings:

  • Identified unique patterns and challenges in MRP interactions within domestic settings, including the coordination between the enhanced autonomy of remote users and the need for local users to adjust their behavioral habits.
  • Proposed a new conceptual framework defining MRP usage as a technology that shapes "dwelling intimacy" rather than merely replicating face-to-face communication.

• Advantages:

  • Compared to traditional video calls, the mobility of MRP allows remote users to autonomously explore the environment, enhancing autonomy and a sense of participation.
  • Bidirectional interaction shifts the traditional "performative" mode of family display, enabling more authentic intimate exchanges through the presentation of actual environments and scenes.

• Experimental or Evaluation Results:

  • Long-term use demonstrates that remote users can naturally browse, interact, and share space within the family through MRP; such interactions go beyond the two-dimensional communication model of conventional video calls.
  • Enhanced intimacy during shared activities, such as cooking together or engaging in spontaneous interactive games.

• Limitations and Future Directions:

  • Limitations:
    • The single-family case study limits the exploration of broader applicability and diversity.
    • Interviews and analyses focus more on the experiences of local users, with insufficient exploration of remote users' experiences.
    • Technical challenges, such as environmental obstacles, device speed, and stability issues, may affect interaction fluidity.
  • Future Work:
    • Extend research to different family structures and relationship types, such as families with children or those involving more family members.
    • Further explore the experiences of remote users and how they cope with technical limitations.
    • Integrate other smart home tools to further investigate the potential functionalities of MRP.

This study provides an innovative perspective on the application of MRP in domestic settings, offering valuable insights for designing remote technologies that support intimate interactions while highlighting the limitations and areas for further exploration in both research and practice.