The Turing Test for Telepresence

TL;DR

This paper proposes a Turing Test for telepresence systems to evaluate if their user experience matches that of face-to-face interactions, analyzing current technology and future challenges.

Contribution

It introduces an optimality condition for telepresence systems based on human perception, guiding future development to achieve indistinguishability from face-to-face meetings.

Findings

Current telepresence tech approaches face perceptual limits

Designing systems to pass the Turing Test requires addressing human perception challenges

Feasibility of achieving this goal with near-future technology is discussed

Abstract

The quality of high-end videoconferencing systems has improved significantly over the last few years enabling a class of applications known as "telepresence" wherein the users engaged in a communication session experience a feeling of mutual presence in a shared virtual space. Telepresence systems have reached a maturity level that seriously challenges the old familiar truism that a face-to-face meeting is always better than a technology-mediated alternative. To explore the state of the art in telepresence technology and outline future opportunities, this paper proposes an optimality condition, expressed as a "Turing Test," whereby the subjective experience of using a telepresence system is compared to the corresponding face-to-face situation. The requirements and challenges of designing a system passing such a Turing Test for telepresence are analyzed with respect to the limits of human perception, and the feasibility of achieving this goal with currently available or near future technology is discussed.