Playing with Telepresence Robots for Design Speculation

This workshop explores how telepresence robots can be used for playful design speculation, leveraging their inherent asymmetries to create engaging and innovative experiences. By focusing on playfulness instead of purely utilitarian applications this workshop seeks to transform the limitations of telepresence robots into opportunities for creative interaction. We wish to explore the ways in which we can exploit the asymmetrical capabilities of remote and local users of telepresence robots. Given the person using the robot will always have more constraints due to the technical limitations of the robot (e.g., limited movement, limited space awareness, etc), we want to investigate if moving away from utilitarian applications towards playfulness can help make these robots more attractive and useful. In this workshop participants will adapt physical games using embodied methods embodied design ideation methods, such as magic machines, embodied sketching, and soma bits, to create playful interventions with robots and to discover new ways to enhance telepresence technology. The focus is on embracing asymmetry to foster innovative, inclusive, and enjoyable interactions.