VideoArms: Supporting Remote Embodiment in Groupware

Abstract

Shared visual workspaces afford collaboration by providing a medium that grounds workspace activity, conversation, and gestures. If distributed groupware systems designed as shared visual workspaces are to replace or augment the physical workspaces of today, they need to naturally support these affordances. VideoArms is an embodiment technique for distributed groupware that captures body images of collaborators as they work, and transmits them to remote workspaces. These body images are then placed in the context of the workspace, thereby supporting the transmission of conversational gestures, collaborator identity, workspace activity and complex workspace gestures. The technique uses a purely digital approach, allowing for the possibility of different presentation techniques (e.g. colour video, shadows, transparent video, outlines, etc.). <BR><BR>Duration of video: 5 minutes, 8 seconds