Mobileportation: Nomadic Telepresence for Mobile Devices

Fig. 1. Two users at different locations communicate within a shared environment constructed using consumer-grade mobile phones with an integrated RGBD sensor and external 360 • camera. Here, the local user (right) shares his environment with the remote user (left). Both "meet" in an incrementally constructed shared virtual space (centre) where they can freely move between ego-and exocentric viewing positions. This reconstruction can be created and transmitted in real time over a standard cellular network, and each user's position within it is shown as an avatar to allow for nomadic face-to-face communication.

The desire to stay connected to one another over large distances has guided decades of telepresence research. Most focuses on stationary solutions that can deliver high-fidelity telepresence experiences, but these are usually impractical for the wider population who cannot afford the necessary proprietary equipment or are unwilling to regress to non-mobile communication.

In this paper we present Mobileportation, a nomadic telepresence prototype that takes advantage of recent developments in mobile technology to provide immersive experiences wherever the user desires by allowing for seamless transitions between ego-and exocentric views within a mutually shared three-dimensional environment. The results of a user study are also discussed that show Mobileportation's ability to induce a sense of presence within this environment and with the remote communication partner, as well as the potential of this platform for future telepresence research.

CCS Concepts: • Human-centered computing → Ubiquitous and mobile computing systems and tools; User studies; Collaborative and social computing systems and tools.