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Evaluating Telepresence Robots in the Field
Amedeo Cesta, Gabriella Cortellessa, Andrea Orlandini, and Lorenza Tiberio
CNR, Italian National Research Council, ISTC, Rome, Italy
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@istc.cnr.it
Abstract.
Most robotic systems are usually used and evaluated in laboratory set-
ting for a limited period of time. The limitation of lab evaluation is that it does
not take into account the different challenges imposed by the fielding of robotic
solutions into real contexts. Our current work evaluates a robotic telepresence
platform to be used with elderly people. This paper describes our effort toward
a
comprehensive
,
ecological
and
longitudinal
evaluation of such robots. Specif-
ically, the paper highlights open points related to the transition from laboratory
to real world settings. It first discusses some results from a short term evaluation
performed in Italy, obtained by interviewing 44 healthcare workers as possible
clients (people connecting to the robot) and 10 older adults as possible end users
(people receiving visits through the robot). It then describes a complete evaluation
plan designed for a long term assessment also dwelling on the initial application
of such methodology to test sites, finally it introduces some technical features
that could enable a more robust real world deployment.
1
Introduction
The area of social robotics is receiving increasing attention and the task of “robot as
companions” has received attention at research level [1]. Several projects have also
proposed different types of solutions with robots that both interact with humans and are
connected to heterogeneous technology to build innovative living environments (e.g.,
[2,3,4]). This paper aims at underscoring one aspect connected to such a line of innova-
tion that deserves special attention: the study of
attitude and perceptions of people who
share the environments in which the robot operates
over
long periods of time
.
It is worth noting how in robotics there is a deep-rooted tradition in developing tech-
nology usually shown in sporadic events and for short periods, i.e., for demos or live
show cases, which are intended to demonstrate the “enhanced” characteristics of a pro-
totype, making them attractive while “hiding” or at least “containing” the technical
problems connected with any long term use within a comprehensive application. Indeed,
a key requirement for social companions (e.g., robots assisting old people at home) is
their continuous operation, their robustness and the continuous interaction with humans
over time. Such continuity of use has significant implications on the technology devel-
opment but it also highlights the need to design a methodology for assessing human
reactions with respect to prolonged use of the proposed solutions. The challenges for
the Intelligent Technology and the Human Robot Interaction researchers are numerous
and mainly related to two aspects: (a) in terms of
users perspective
, robots must adhere
to user requirements and be acceptable in the long term, (b) in terms of
technology
,the
