Work

Periscope: A Robotic Camera System to Support Remote Physical Collaboration

Year: 2023

Type: article

Abstract: We investigate how robotic camera systems can offer new capabilities to computer-supported cooperative work through the design, development, and evaluation of a prototype system called Periscope. With Periscope, a local worker completes manipulation tasks with guidance from a remote helper who observes the workspace through a camera mounted on a semi-autonomous robotic arm that is co-located with the worker. Our key insight is that the helper, the worker, and the robot should all share responsibility of the camera view-an approach we call shared camera control. Using this approach, we present a set of modes that distribute the control of the camera between the human collaborators and the autonomous robot depending on task needs. We demonstrate the system's utility and the promise of shared camera control through a preliminary study where 12 dyads collaboratively worked on assembly tasks. Finally, we discuss design and research implications of our work for future robotic camera systems that facilitate remote collaboration.

Source: Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction

DOI: 10.1145/3610199

Authors: Pragathi Praveena, Yeping Wang, Emmanuel Senft, Michael Gleicher, Bilge Mutlu

Institutions: University of Wisconsin–Madison, Idiap Research Institute

Language: English

Topic: Robot Manipulation and Learning

Subfield: Control and Systems Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: bronze