The $10 Million ANA Avatar XPRIZE Competition Advanced Immersive Telepresence Systems

TL;DR

This paper reports on the ANA Avatar XPRIZE competition, showcasing advanced telepresence systems that enable real-time remote human interaction through robotic avatars, highlighting innovative approaches and key results.

Contribution

It introduces the design, evaluation, and outcomes of cutting-edge avatar systems developed during the multi-year ANA Avatar XPRIZE competition.

Findings

Robotic avatar systems effectively supported remote human interaction.

Participants demonstrated immersive telepresence with realistic sensory feedback.

The competition identified successful approaches and lessons for future telepresence technology.

Abstract

The $10M ANA Avatar XPRIZE aimed to create avatar systems that can transport human presence to remote locations in real time. The participants of this multi-year competition developed robotic systems that allow operators to see, hear, and interact with a remote environment in a way that feels as if they are truly there. On the other hand, people in the remote environment were given the impression that the operator was present inside the avatar robot. At the competition finals, held in November 2022 in Long Beach, CA, USA, the avatar systems were evaluated on their support for remotely interacting with humans, exploring new environments, and employing specialized skills. This article describes the competition stages with tasks and evaluation procedures, reports the results, presents the winning teams' approaches, and discusses lessons learned.