Immersive Control of a Robot Surrogate for Users in Palliative Care

Project description:
In order to tackle the isolation felt by those with restricted mobility or in long-term healthcare, a user interface is being designed and implemented in order to allow for control of a robot surrogate via virtual reality. The project aims to allow people to navigate outside more easily when they may otherwise not be able to. The system aims to allow for natural interaction between the system's user and those interacting with the robot surrogate, by including semi-autonomous gestures and perceived personality that reflects the users. It is hypothesised that the system will provide a greater sense of presence, social presence, and quality of interaction than currently available teleconferencing software and non-humanoid robot surrogates.

Aims and objectives:
Aim and Motivation:
This project aims to design and implement an immersive control system for a robot surrogate. The motivation for this system is to enable those with restricted mobility to interact socially with those around them from a remote location in order to reduce isolation. Additionally, the users would be able to navigate outside more easily where they may not otherwise be able to. Finally, the system will allow for semi-autonomous gesturing, to further enhance the interactions between the user and others, and to allow the surrogate to effectively portray the personality of the user; as well as providing the user with social cues from those interacting with the robot.

Research questions:
With the aims and motivation in mind, the following research questions have been identified:

1) Can virtual reality be used to create an immersive control system that allows the user to feel present in the remote location?
2) Can the system create effective, natural, social presence between the user and others interacting with them?
3) Can the surrogate semi-autonomously portray the personality of the user, as well as natural social cues and gestures?

Objectives:
Based on the identified research questions, the necessary objectives have been split into two main categories - those needed to successfully create and implement the interface using VR, that effect the system's user, and those that effect the behaviour of the robot surrogate and, by extension, those who are interacting with it.

Virtual Reality Objectives:
1) Create and implement an immersive control system using virtual reality and its corresponding software.
2) Evaluate the presence and social presence felt by the user when using the system.
3) Enhance system connectivity to ensure feasible range between the control interface and the robot surrogate.

Robot Surrogate Objectives:
1) Implement perceived eye movement, gestures, and expressiveness that correspond with the user's personality and behaviours.
2) Evaluate social presence felt by the user and those interacting with the robot.
3) Implement semi-autonomy to allow for natural behaviours.

Rapid growth in the already burgeoning Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS) market has been estimated from many sources. This growth is driven by socio-economic needs and enabled by advances in algorithms and technologies converging on robotics. The market potential for applications of robotics and autonomous systems is, therefore, of huge value to the UK. There are four major areas where FARSCOPE will strive to fulfil and deliver on the impact agenda.

1. Training: A coherent strategy for impact must observe the value of the 'innovation pipeline'; from training of world-class researchers to novel products in the 'shop window'. The FARSCOPE training programme described in the Case for Support will produce researchers who will be able to advance knowledge, expertise and skills in the many associated aspects of academic pursuit in the field. Crucially, they will be guided by its industrial partners and BRL's Industrial Advisory Group, so that they are grounded in the real-world context of the many robotics and autonomous systems application domains. This means pursuing research excellence while embracing the challenges set within the context of a range of real-world factors.

2. Economic and Social Exploitation: The elevated position of advanced robotics, in the commercial 'value chain', makes it imperative that we create graduates from our Centre who are acutely aware of this potential. BRL is centrally engaged in its regional SME and business ecology, as evidenced by its recent industry workshop and 'open lab' events, which attracted some 60 and 280 industrial delegates respectively. BRL is also a key contributor to regional economic innovation. BRL has engaged two business managers and allocated some dedicated space to specifically support work on RAS related industrial engagement and innovation and, importantly, technology incubation. BRL will be creating an EU-funded Robotics Innovation Facilities to help coordinating a EUR 20m a programme to specifically promote and encourage direct links between academia and industry with a focus on SMEs. All of these high-impact BRL activities will be fed directly into the FARSCOPE programme.

A critical mass of key industrial and end-user partnerships across a diverse array of sectors have given their support to the FARSCOPE centre. All have indicated their interest in engaging through the FARSCOPE mechanisms identified in the Case for Support. These demonstrate the impact of the FARSCOPE centre in engaging existing, and forming new, strategic partnerships in the RAS field.

3. Fostering links with other Research Institutions and Academic Dissemination: It is essential that FARSCOPE CDT students learn to share best practice with other RAS research centres, both in the UK and beyond. In addition to attendance and presentation at academic conferences nationally and overseas, FARSCOPE will use the following mechanisms to engage with the academic community. BRL has very many strong links with the UK, EU and global RAS research community. We will use these as a basis for cementing existing links and fostering new ones.

4. Engaging the Public: FARSCOPE will train and then encourage its student cohorts to engage with the general public, to educate about the potential of these new technologies, to participate in debates on ethics, safety and legality of autonomous systems, and to enthuse future generations to work in this exciting area. UWE and the University of Bristol, BRL's two supporting institutions, host the National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement. In addition, UWE's Science Communication Unit is internationally renowned for its diverse and innovative activities, which engage the public with science. FARSCOPE students will receive guidance and training in public engagement in order to act as worthy RAS research 'ambassadors'.