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Decoding Emotion in Motion : Affective Communication Through Wheeled Telepresence Robot Movement
Gaibăr, Robert-Andrei (2025) Decoding Emotion in Motion : Affective Communication Through Wheeled Telepresence Robot Movement.
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| Abstract: | Telepresence robots are widely used to facilitate remote presence in educa- tional, healthcare, and social settings, but their potential to communicate affective states through physical motion remains largely under-explored. Al- though research has examined embodiment, emotional presence, and social connectedness in telepresence applications, little attention has been paid to how simple wheeled robots can express affective states purely through movement. Hence, this thesis investigates how human observers perceive and interpret different emotional states, such as happiness, sadness, anger, fear, and curiosity, through the live motion of a non-anthropomorphic telep- resence robot. Using real-life interaction, participants observe a wheeled robot perform motion sequences designed to evoke specific emotions and are then asked to identify the perceived emotion and suggest their own movement ideas for conveying affective states. Building upon literature emphasising social presence, embodied communication, and affect recogni- tion in human-robot interaction (HRI), this study aims to identify motion parameters that can support expressive telepresence and enhance the robot’s ability to function as a social mediator. The results also contribute to the development of more intuitive emotional communication in telepresence systems, particularly in contexts where social connection is crucial, such as remote education, elderly care, mental health support, and collaborative work environments. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Bachelor) |
| Faculty: | EEMCS: Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science |
| Subject: | 50 technical science in general |
| Programme: | Business & IT BSc (56066) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/107413 |
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