Tricycle-style operation interface for children to control a telepresence robot

Telepresence robots will provide significant value to childhood education. They will offer children opportunities to join remote classrooms and to communicate with speakers of different languages in more enriched ways than are available by conventional video conferencing. However, the introduction of child-operated telepresence robots has yet to be tested. The design of the operation interface presents a particular challenge. In this study, we report the development of a tricycle-style operation interface based on requirements identified through classroom field observations. It was designed for intuitive use, even by young children, without the need of detailed instruction. The usability of the interface was tested in a field experiment involving 20 participants (4–8 years old). The participants were asked to perform six elementary tasks using a telepresence robot system controlled either by the tricycle-style interface or a standard video-game controller. The operational performance of the tricycle-style interface was found to be superior to that of the standard controller. The advantages and disadvantages of both interfaces are discussed. keywords: telepresence robot, children, remote communication, distance education, tricycle