Abstract
Humanoid robot surrogates promise new applications in the field of human robot interactions and assistive robotics. However, whole body embodiment for teleoperation or telepresence with mobile robot avatars is yet to be fully explored and understood. In this thesis, we focus on exploring the feeling of embodiment when one navigates and interacts with the environment or with one's self through a humanoid robot. First, we show a framework devised to realize scenarios of navigation and self interaction. The framework uses a brain-computer interface to control a humanoid robot and relies on several computer vision components to assist the user navigate and interact with the environment and one's self. Two scenarios are then realized with this framework where the users control a humanoid robot to realize self interaction tasks. We then explore in details key issues encountered during those scenarios. First, we investigate how the reduced controllability and feedback of the users affect their feeling of embodiment towards the walking surrogate. We then present the result of a study focused on the feeling experienced by the user when controlling the humanoid arm to ``touch'' the environment and then one's self. The result shows that despite the lack of feedback in the control, and recognizing themselves, users stay embody in the surrogate, and experience the touch in their hands through it.