Parallel Ping-Pong: Exploring Parallel Embodiment through Multiple Bodies by a Single User
Kazuma Takada, Midori Kawaguchi, Akira Uehara, Yukiya Nakanishi, Mark Armstrong, Adrien Verhulst, Kouta Minamizawa, and Shunichi Kasahara
ACM Augmented Humans 2022 · Honorable Mention
Demo: ACM SIGGRAPH Asia 2021 Emerging Technologies · Best Demonstration Award (Best in Show)
Paper (ACM Digital Library) · Demo paper (ACM Digital Library)
Abstract
We propose Parallel Ping-Pong, a system that realizes “Parallel Embodiment”, the experience of a single user controlling multiple bodies simultaneously. The user plays ping-pong by controlling 2 robot arms using a Virtual Reality (VR) controller, while looking at 2 tables through a Head Mounted Display (HMD). The computer constantly calculates the ball trajectory and the motion for the robot arm to hit the balls back automatically through color cameras. Based on this calculation, the system integrates the motion of the user’s controller, maintaining the sense of agency of the robot arms even though single user plays ping-pong with two opponents. In addition, the user’s view through the HMD is automatically switched to the appropriate table according to the calculated position and direction, so that the user can perceive both tables’ situation smoothly. We exhibited a three-day Parallel Ping-Pong demonstration and surveyed 142 participants about their perception while controlling multiple bodies. In this paper, we introduce the Parallel Ping-Pong system framework and the insights from the survey of demonstration. We also discuss the design implication for Parallel Embodiment based on these results.
Parallel Ping-Pong: 1人が複数の身体を同時に操作する「パラレル・インタラクション」のための物理プラットフォーム
１人のユーザが複数の身体を同時に操作する「パラレル・インタラクション」を探求するための物理的プラットフォームとして、卓球を題材とした「パラレル・ピンポン」を開発しました。ユーザは，2本のロボットアームをバーチャルリアリティコントローラで操作し，ヘッドマウントディスプレイを通して２台のロボットアームの視点映像を見ながら２つのテーブルで同時に卓球をできます。ゲーム状況やピンポン玉の方向や位置に応じて、複数視点映像を分割・合成した映像をヘッドマウントディスプレイに表示することで、２つの視点環境を同時に観測することを可能にします。さらに、映像やシステムのレイテンシーによって損なわれてしまうロボットアームに対する行為主体性を維持するために、ボールの軌道計算によるロボットアーム自動制御とユーザー自身の動作を統合することで、複数ロボットアームを１人のユーザーが主体性を持ち制御することを実現します。パラレル・ピンポンは一人のユーザが複数の身体を持ち、並行して身体体験を行うための様々なデザインを検証するためのプラットフォームとなることが期待されます。
Sony Computer Science Laboratories, Superception Group.
Collaboration with Embodied Media, Keio Media Design.
Credit :
Kazuma Takada (Sony Computer Science Laboratories)
Midori Kawaguchi (Keio media Design)
Yukiya Nakanishi (Sony Computer Science Laboratories)
Akira Uehara (Sony Computer Science Laboratories)
Mark Armstrong (Sony Computer Science Laboratories)
Adrien Verhulst (Sony Computer Science Laboratories)
Kouta Minamizawa (Keio Media Design)
Shunichi Kasahara (Sony Computer Science Laboratories)
This work was supported by JST Moonshot R&D “Cybernetic being” Project (Grant number JPMJMS2013).
References
Kazuma Takada, Midori Kawaguchi, Akira Uehara, Yukiya Nakanishi, Mark Armstrong, Adrien Verhulst, Kouta Minamizawa, and Shunichi Kasahara. 2022. Parallel Ping-Pong: Exploring Parallel Embodiment through Multiple Bodies by a Single User. In Proceedings of the Augmented Humans International Conference 2022 (AHs ’22). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, 121–130. https://doi.org/10.1145/3519391.3519408
BibTeX
@inproceedings{10.1145/3519391.3519408,
author = {Takada, Kazuma and Kawaguchi, Midori and Uehara, Akira and Nakanishi, Yukiya and Armstrong, Mark and Verhulst, Adrien and Minamizawa, Kouta and Kasahara, Shunichi},
title = {Parallel Ping-Pong: Exploring Parallel Embodiment through Multiple Bodies by a Single User},
booktitle = {Proceedings of the Augmented Humans International Conference 2022},
series = {AHs '22},
year = {2022},
pages = {121--130},
publisher = {Association for Computing Machinery},
address = {New York, NY, USA},
doi = {10.1145/3519391.3519408}
}Kazuma Takada, Midori Kawaguchi, Yukiya Nakanishi, Akira Uehara, Mark Armstrong, Adrien Verhulst, Kouta Minamizawa, and Shunichi Kasahara. 2021. Parallel Ping-Pong: Demonstrating Parallel Interaction through Multiple Bodies by a Single User. In SIGGRAPH Asia 2021 Emerging Technologies (SA ’21). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, Article 12, 1–2. https://doi.org/10.1145/3476122.3484836
BibTeX
@inproceedings{10.1145/3476122.3484836,
author = {Takada, Kazuma and Kawaguchi, Midori and Nakanishi, Yukiya and Uehara, Akira and Armstrong, Mark and Verhulst, Adrien and Minamizawa, Kouta and Kasahara, Shunichi},
title = {Parallel Ping-Pong: Demonstrating Parallel Interaction through Multiple Bodies by a Single User},
booktitle = {SIGGRAPH Asia 2021 Emerging Technologies},
series = {SA '21},
year = {2021},
articleno = {12},
pages = {1--2},
publisher = {Association for Computing Machinery},
address = {New York, NY, USA},
doi = {10.1145/3476122.3484836}
}