Bangbang: A Multimodal Tele-Operated Avatar Robot for Enhancing Social Inclusion of Disabled Individuals

This paper presents Bangbang, a multimodal teleoperated desktop avatar robot designed to enhance social inclusion for socio-physically disadvantaged individuals, including people with disabilities and elderly individuals with limited mobility. Building previous telepresence systems like OriHime, Bangbang expands interaction to include LED indicators, emoji-based emotional displays, and text communication, along with accessibility-focused control panels designed for users with vision, hearing, speech, and mobility impairments. This design facilitates both central and peripheral interaction, enriching communication and enhancing social presence. Comparative analysis demonstrates Bangbang's potential to enhance inclusivity across various domains, including work, healthcare, education, and community engagement, ultimately benefiting both users and their interactions. Notably, limitations include its lack of mobility and reliance on stable connectivity. Future research should focus on experimental studies involving disadvantaged individuals in realworld settings to evaluate usability, social acceptance, and longterm impact.