Social and Telepresence Robots for Accessibility and Inclusion in Small Museums

TL;DR

This paper explores using social and telepresence robots to enhance accessibility and inclusion in small museums, focusing on guiding visitors and enabling remote access for disabled or distant visitors.

Contribution

It introduces novel applications of social robots and telepresence robots tailored for small museums to improve visitor inclusion and accessibility.

Findings

Robots support inclusive guided tours for diverse visitors.

Telepresence robots enable remote museum access for mobility-limited individuals.

Key research areas include storytelling, empathy, and robot-person collaboration.

Abstract

There are still many museums that present accessibility barriers, particularly regarding perceptual, cultural, and cognitive aspects. This is especially evident in low-density population areas. The aim of the ROBSO-PM project is to improve the accessibility of small museums through the use of social robots and social telepresence robots, focusing on three museums as case studies: the Museum of the Holy Shroud in Turin, a small but globally known institution, and two lesser known mountain museums: the Museum of the Champlas du Col Carnival and the Pragelato Museum of Alpine Peoples' Costumes and Traditions. The project explores two main applications for robots: as guides supporting inclusive visits for foreign or disabled visitors, and as telepresence tools allowing people with limited mobility to access museums remotely. From a research perspective, key topics include storytelling, robot personality, empathy, personalization, and, in the case of telepresence, collaboration between the robot and the person, with clearly defined roles and autonomy.