Telepresence in Actv Media Spaces

Abstract

Two studies were conducted to assess telepresence in “active” and “inactive” media spaces. Telepresence in the current context is defined by the type of access provided to remote space and by the type of sharing of artifacts occurring in that space. The media spaces investigated entailed the use of multiple video sources and groupware applications between two remotely located users. The first study involved participants negotiating the layout of a room utilizing a shared computer graphics program. The second study involved cooperative physical assembly of a real object. Observations of task performance behaviors and subject questionnaires were used to assess telepresence. Thirty-two pairs of subjects participated in each study. The studies resulted in a variety of findings concerning the use of a head-mounted camera, the number and location of video signals available to users, the setup of face-to-face video signals, and the appropriateness of different tasks given all of the previous variables.