Embodiment and telepresence: Toward a comprehensive theoretical framework

作者：Haans Antal^*; Ijsselsteijn Wijnand A

来源：Interacting with Computers, 2012, 24(4): 211-218.

DOI：10.1016/j.intcom.2012.04.010

• Media technology
• Presence
• Embodiment
• Body schema
• Body image
• Sensory-motor integration

What explains the experience of %26quot;being there%26quot; in a simulated or mediated environment? In recent years, research has pointed to various technological and psychological factors deemed important in eliciting this so-called experience of telepresence, including interactivity, sensory-motor integration, media transparency, and distal attribution. However, few theories exist that can combine these findings in a coherent framework. In the present paper, we formulate such a theoretical framework. We will argue that the experience of telepresence is a consequence of the way in which we are embodied, and that it extends naturally from the same ability that allows us to adjust to a slippery surface, or to the weight of a hammer. The importance of embodiment in the understanding of telepresence has been stated before, but these works have not yet fully addressed what it means to be embodied. We argue that %26quot;having a human body%26quot; means having a specific morphology, a body schema, and a body image. Subsequently we describe how tools and technological artifacts may be incorporated at each of these levels of embodiment, and the implications thereof for the experience of telepresence.

• 出版日期2012-7