Training of telecommunication through teleoperated android “Telenoid” and its effect

Telenoid, a teleoperated android, is a medium through which teleoperators can transmit both verbal and nonverbal information to interlocutors. Telenoid promotes conversation with its interlocutors, especially elderly people. Nevertheless, since teleoperators admit that they have difficulty feeling that they are actually teleoperating their robots, they cannot use them effectively to transmit nonverbal information; such nonverbal information is one of Telenoid´s biggest merits. In this paper, we propose a training program for teleoperators so that they can understand Telenoid´s operation and ways to transmit nonverbal information through it. We investigate the effects of the training on teleoperation and communication, and identify three results. Firstly, our training improves Telenoid´s head movements leading to clearer transmission of nonverbal information. Secondly, the effects of the training differ between genders. Females communicated with their interlocutors more smoothly than males after training. Males communicated with their interlocutors more smoothly after simple talking practice. Thirdly, we found that correlations exist not only among freely controlling the robot, regarding the robot as oneself, and tele-presence in the interlocutor´s room, but also among freely controlling the robot, tele-presence in the interlocutor´s room, and feeling involved when talking with the interlocutor. On the other hand, there are no correlations between the feelings about Telenoid´s operation and the head movements.