Push and Pull Feedback in Mobile Robotic Telepresence - A Telecare Case Study

Mobile robotic telepresence (MRP) has emerged as a possible solution for supporting health caregivers in a multitude of tasks such as monitoring, pre-diagnosis, and delivery of items. Improved interaction with the system is an important part of using such MRP systems. The current study compared two feedback types ('push' and 'pull') for controlling mobile robots via telepresence. An experimental system that represented a hospital environment was developed. A remote operator (defined as a user) teleoperated a mobile robot to deliver medication supplies to a patient and receive samples from the patient while attending to a secondary task involving medical records. The influence of the feedback types on different aspects of performance and user perception was investigated. User studies were performed with 20 participants coming from two different types of groups – users with and without technological backgrounds. Results revealed that for both user types, the 'push' feedback enhances performance, situation awareness, and satisfaction compared to the 'pull' feedback. The study highlights the potential of improving the telecare experience with MRPs through different feedback types.