Robots as Extensions of Telepresent Students in an Engineering Design Class

• In Event: 53.027 - Devices in the Classroom for Collaboration and Individualization

Abstract

Robotic telepresence is a growing strategy for enabling participants to join with colleagues even when the pilot of the robot cannot be physically present (Bower, 2015). In this paper, we describe our research that studies robotic telepresence in undergraduate engineering education, and specifically in the case when there are physical objects that are the focus of the collaboration. Two theoretical frameworks ground this study: embodiment and social presence. We found that students described a strong sense of embodiment and presence, both with their colleagues and with the physical object of their collaboration. In addition, the students described some important limitations in the robot we tested in terms of their ability to interact with the physical object in the room.

Authors

• John E. Bell, Michigan State University

• William Cain, Michigan State University

• Amy T. Peterson, Michigan State University