Telepresence in the Recent Literature with a Focus on Robotic Platforms, Applications and Challenges

Abstract

Three decades ago, telepresence was presented as an idea in the context of remote work and manipulation. Since then, it has evolved into a field combining different technologies and allowing users to have more or less realistic perceptions of immersion in remote environments. This paper reviews telepresence and its recent advances. While not covering all the work conducted in telepresence, this paper provides an array of applications for which telepresence can be envisioned, providing a clear view of the differences between components and functionalities of robotic platforms conceived for telepresence and pointing to the dependence of telepresence on several technological areas. Furthermore, challenges faced by telepresence technologies are shown, with consideration of user experiences. We consider telepresence from different perspectives, focusing on specific parts, making it possible to foresee future directions of research and applications. This review will be useful for researchers working in telepresence and related fields.