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Nicolas A. Baginsky
Report 5/29 |
Lab Report May 29/98
Aims:
investigation of biomechanical reactions under conditions of telepresence
in a "loopcontrolled" environment
Methods:
a group of subjects is presented to a situation in which they
have to use their biomechanical functions to remotecontrol a telepresence
device
Equipment:
INSIGHT Instruments "SOFT"
Nicolas A. Baginsky´s Teleroboter
I-glasses
Powerbook 3400
PC 486
PC 486
Procedure:
Subjects are taken to a comfortable seat, electrodes are attached
to their arms, they are shown the camerarobot and its motion capabilities,
receive a pair of I-glasses and are instructed to experiment with
controlling the camerarobot via their muscle functions. |
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Results:
The perceptional feedback in a forced loopclosing environment
seemed to cause strong biomechanical reactions on the subjects.
In order to gain control of their perceptions, the subjects seemed
to go through various phases:
Initially they seemed to experience difficulties as they tried
to use their biomechanics as they normally would in order to turn
and move a camera; since the motion results were not as expected
a phase of confusion was the immediate result followed by a phase
of trying to regain control of their own muscles, which seemed
to cause an overreaction on some of the subjects as they complained
about muscle soreness. Subjects who initially appeared to have
extraordinary physical peculiarities (eyetwitchings, nervous ticks
e.a.) started to use those features and extended them further
for control purposes. Other subjects fell into a state of competitiveness
by asking whether they were any better or worse than the last
ones. Only few and mainly female subjects appeared to aim for
a state of relaxed awareness, focussing on the perception rather
than their own biomechanical capabilities and started to playfully
approach the telepresence capability as an extension of their
body rather than an obstacle.
The environment as a semipublic open enviroment definitely caused
distractory side effects - from the subjects occasional "showmenship"
to general nervousness.
A situation where a subjects biomechanical reactions could be
measured rather than "observed" might be a next step.
Noted be the one male subject that started to "airdrive" a car,
putting his hands on an imaginary steering wheel and the legs
onto nonexisting pedals for braking and acceleration.
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