This study is the first to explore the interplay between haptic interaction and avatar representation in Shared Virtual Environments (SVEs). Specifically, how these factors shape users' sense of social presence during dyadic collaborations, while assessing potential effects on task performance. In a series of experiments, participants performed the collaborative task with haptic interaction under four avatar representation conditions: avatars of both participant and partner were displayed, only the participant's avatar was displayed, only the partner's avatar was displayed, and no avatars were displayed. The study finds that avatar representation, especially of the partner, significantly enhances the perception of social presence, which haptic interaction alone does not fully achieve. However, neither the presence nor the type of avatar representation impacts the task performance or participants' force effort of the task, suggesting that haptic interaction provides sufficient interaction cues for the execution of the task. These results underscore the significance of integrating both visual and haptic modalities to optimize remote collaboration experiences in virtual environments, ensuring effective communication and a strong sense of social presence.

Co-presence is the index that indicates the degree to which the observer believes he/she is not alone and secluded. The representation of avatars in virtual environments (VE) having an effect on co-presence was reported. However, these reports are only limited to visual interaction. This paper aims to clarify the influence of the avatar representation on cooperative haptic interaction. Haptic interaction in the VE is essential for teleoperation. A cooperative task with multilateral control was conducted, and the haptic interaction was analyzed by conducting a survey. In the experiment, the avatar representation was changed by three patterns of the avatar representation as follows; all of subjects’ avatars are displayed, only the subject’s avatar is displayed, and all of subjects’ avatar is not displayed. The experimental results showed that the avatar representation did not affect the haptic interaction. On the other hand, the subject’s impression was changed by the avatar representation. Therefore, it was concluded that the avatars are not always necessary in a cooperative task.

This paper proposes a real time objective Human-Human teamwork assist method with physical interaction. In this research, in order to evaluate and assist teamwork objectively in real time, we focused on changes in the input command that occur when cooperate with others and defined changes in the amount of input command as CFO. CFO can be estimated by input command in real time. CFO is estimated by learning the input command during the solo task using Neural Network and comparing with the input command during the cooperative task. This paper proposed an assist system with force feedback for teamwork assist using CFO. Then, in order to verify the proposed assist is effective, experiment performed to higher teamwork pairs and lower teamwork pairs on w/o assist and w/ assist. The experimental results suggested on higher teamwork pairs marginally significant difference to mean square error by the assist. The results suggest that real time teamwork assistance by CFO is possible.

“Concern for Others: CFO” which is an element of evaluating teamwork in real time. In most of the studies, the teamwork evaluation was analyzed by using questionnaire after an experiment. When teamwork skill requires assisting, those methods cannot apply in real time and objectively. Therefore, we had been suggested a method to real-time analyzing objective teamwork support by the CFO. In previous research, we revealed the sum and subtract of CFO were affected by force interaction when the cooperative task. Then, in this research, we analyzed temporal changes in an operator for the cooperative task using the sum and subtract of CFO, for considering a method for assisting the teamwork in real time by force feedback, visual assist, etc. As a result, a positive correlation was seen between the cooperative task time and the sum and subtract of CFO. And each section shows to tend of increase one of the operator's input change with time by an intervention of the others input. These tendencies suggests the teamwork can be assisted by increasing the sum of CFO referring to the subtract of CFO.