Exploring Mediated Communication with Older Adults: Comparing AR Avatars, Telepresence Robots, and Face-to-Face Interaction

ACM International Conference on Interactive Media Experiences, pp. 1–13

Abstract

Older adults, a growing demographic, face an increased risk of experiencing loneliness and are less exposed to emerging communication technologies. Augmented reality (AR) avatars and telepresence robots have been proposed as tools to foster social connection, yet their suitability for older users remains underexplored. We present an exploratory study with ten healthy older adults who engaged in both conversational and spatial collaboration tasks using AR avatar-mediated communication, robot-mediated communication, and face-to-face interaction. We collected self-reported measures of co-presence, social presence, closeness, uncanny valley, preferences, and open feedback. Our findings suggest that telepresence robots enhanced co-presence, while avatars were valued for their expressivity and humanlike qualities. Task type influenced co-presence in spatial collaboration only during communication using the telepresence robot. Other measures, such as social presence and closeness, were unaffected by task type or representation. While neither technology outperformed face-to-face interaction, both were positively received, underscoring their potential to address the social needs of older adults and highlighting the importance of enhancing nonverbal expressivity, particularly nonverbal cues in mediated communication. Ultimately, our results contribute to the fundamental understanding of mediated communication with older adults, motivating further empirical work to confirm and extend these findings.

Authors 15

1. Stephanie Arévalo Arboleda

   Birmingham City University

   Affiliation as printed

   Birmingham City University, Birmingham, United Kingdom

2. Jakob Hartbrich Aachen

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany

3. Florian Weidner

   University of Glasgow

   Affiliation as printed

   Glasgow University, Glasgow, United Kingdom

4. Melisa Conde

   Technische Universität Ilmenau

   Affiliation as printed

   Media Psychology and Media Design, Technische Universität Ilmenau, Ilmenau, Thüringen, Germany

5. Veronika Mikhailova

   Technische Universität Ilmenau

   Affiliation as printed

   Media Psychology and Media Design Group, Technische Universität Ilmenau, Ilmenau, Germany

6. Felix Immohr Aachen

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany

7. Söhnke Benedikt Fischedick

   Technische Universität Ilmenau

   Affiliation as printed

   Neuroinformatics and Cognitive Robotics, Technische Universität Ilmenau, Ilmenau, Germany

8. Bea Vorhof

   Technische Universität Ilmenau

   Affiliation as printed

   Virtual Worlds and Digital Games Group, Technische Universität Ilmenau, Ilmenau, Germany

9. Christoph Gerhardt

   Technische Universität Ilmenau

   Affiliation as printed

   Virtual Worlds and Digital Games Group, Technische Universität Ilmenau, Ilmenau, Germany

10. Kay Richter

    Technische Universität Ilmenau

    Affiliation as printed

    Neuroinformatics and Cognitive Robotics, Technische Universität Ilmenau, Ilmenau, Germany

11. Christian Kunert

    Technische Universität Ilmenau

    Affiliation as printed

    Virtual Worlds and Digital Games Group, Technische Universität Ilmenau, Ilmenau, Germany

12. Nicola M. Döring

    Technische Universität Ilmenau

    Affiliation as printed

    Media Psychology and Media Design Group, Technische Universität Ilmenau, Ilmenau, Germany

13. Horst-Michael Gross

    Technische Universität Ilmenau

    Affiliation as printed

    Neuroinformatics and Cognitive Robotics, Technische Universität Ilmenau, Ilmenau, Germany

14. Wolfgang Broll

    Technische Universität Ilmenau

    Affiliation as printed

    Virtual Worlds and Digital Games Group, Ilmenau University of Technology, Ilmenau, Germany

15. Alexander Raake Aachen

    RWTH Aachen University

    Affiliation as printed

    RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany