Presentation of (telepresent) self: On the double-edged effects of mirrors

Mobile remote presence systems present new opportunities and challenges for physically distributed people to meet and work together. One of the challenges observed from a couple of years of using Texai, a mobile remote presence (MRP) system, is that remote operators are often unaware of how they present themselves through the MRP. Problems arise when remote operators are not clearly visible through the MRP video display; this mistake makes the MRP operators look like anonymous intruders into the local space rather than approachable colleagues. To address this problem, this study explores the effects of visual feedback for remote teleoperators, using a controlled experiment in which mirrors were either present or absent in the local room with the MRP system (N=24). Participants engaged in a warm-up remote communication task followed by a remote driving task. Compared to mirrors-absent participants, mirrors-present participants were more visible on the MRP screens and practiced navigating longer. However, the mirrors-present participants also reported experiencing more frustration and having less fun. Implications for theory and design are discussed.