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This study explored two different ways for K‐12 school teachers to access educational makerspace through virtual fieldtrips. K‐12 school teachers from rural areas of the Southeast USA were divided into two groups. The experimental group (n = 48) drove telepresence robots to take their fieldtrip, while the comparison group (n = 23) watched the same fieldtrip through a recorded video. Analyses of the quantitative and qualitative data, collected through surveys and written reflections, showed that the experimental group reported significantly higher scores in embodiment, social presence and engagement (ie, behaviour, emotion and cognition) than the comparison group, and that actual driving the robots for the virtual fieldtrips was highlighted as a favored experience. Educational significance and implications are discussed. Practitioner notesWhat is currently known about this topic With makerspaces gaining increasing attention in K‐12 education, professional development (PD) opportunities are needed to help teachers understand makerspaces and related technologies.Teachers in rural areas are faced with the challenges of accessing makerspace resources and opportunities, especially during the COVID‐19 pandemic.Little research has explored teacher makerspace PD in rural areas.Maker resource deficiency in rural areas and the COVID‐19 pandemic call for an alternative approach to the makerspace PD, particularly for teachers in rural areas.What this paper adds Explored the use of telepresence robots for rural teachers to access an authentic makerspace through virtual fieldtrips.Examined the effects of virtual fieldtrip to access makerspaces on K‐12 teachers' embodiment, social presence and engagement.Examined the aspects of the telepresence fieldtrip that were most valuable to K‐12 teachers.Investigated the factors that contribute to teachers' engagement in a virtual fieldtrip.Implications for practitioners Telepresence robot was an effective tool that enabled teachers in rural areas to explore authentic makerspaces through a virtual trip over distance.To help teachers conceptualize the idea of makerspace, it is important to allow teachers to move in the physical makerspace and interact with the environment.To design an engaging fieldtrip that triggers active learning, more attention should be given to how to develop the emotional aspect of a fieldtrip experience.Embodiment plays an important role in virtual fieldtrips. When teachers have a higher level of embodiment, they are more likely to be emotionally and cognitively engaged in a fieldtrip experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate consumers' adoption intention toward augmented reality (AR)‐enhanced virtual try‐ons (VTOs) by examining the effects of consumers' evaluations of technology attributes on their immersive experiences, perceived value, and adoption intention based on the stimulus–organism–response (SOR) framework. To explain variations in consumers' evaluations and adoption of AR‐enhanced VTOs, two important personality traits that pertain to the use of AR‐enhanced VTOs, sensation‐seeking tendency and technology anxiety, were incorporated into the model as moderators. Data for this study were collected via a self‐administered survey of students enrolled in 13 classes of a southeastern university in the United States. A total of 398 respondents were recruited to participate in this study via a convenience sampling approach. A sample of 352 was retained for data analysis. Structural equation modeling and multigroup comparisons were conducted to test the proposed hypotheses. The finding revealed that the two salient technology attributes of AR‐enhanced VTOs exerted significant positive influences on telepresence, which, in turn, influenced consumers' perceived values and adoption intention toward AR‐enhanced VTOs. Also, the two personality traits moderated the proposed relationships among technology attributes, perceived values, and adoption intentions. The findings add to empirical support for the relationship proposed in the SOR framework. Further, the results of this study provide insights that can guide companies in improving and marketing VTOs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ground-based high voltage electrical line inspection is one of the difficult and highly dangerous job as far as a manual worker is concerned. The transmission line inspection by robots avoids temporary interruption of power supply that affects the end user and transmission grid. Also, robot-based inspection reduces maintenance cost and hazards. The electrical line inspection is normally carried out using binoculars and rarely by helicopters in most of the countries because of the low cost. Wire traversing or aerial robots are being used in Japan, Canada, USA and Russia for inspecting and monitoring faults in transmission lines and towers. However, most of these robots require a lot of human effort for installation due to its weight and complex design. Cost of these robots is also very high. This paper presents the mechanical design, fabrication and testing of a novel, low cost, light weight and compact power transmission line inspection robot. This work also includes kinematic, static and dynamic analysis of various subsystems of robot. Proposed robot is capable of traversing on straight transmission line and jumper cables present in tension towers. The robot has 10 DoF dual arm for crossing operation and a base system to achieve the locomotion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While a majority of the US population uses the Internet to seek product information for purchasing decisions, U.S. Census (2017) shows only a small portion of actual retail sales occur on the Internet. Previous research shows that consumers' anxiety on performance risk is one of the core causes for this small ratio of online sales, and can be addressed by enhanced telepresence. However, few studies investigated how telepresence can be enhanced. Drawing on theories of human information processing, we identify four drivers of telepresence. The four drivers identified are Standardization of Specification, Sensory Descriptiveness, Interactivity and Feedback Quality. Our study expands the nomological network of telepresence by presenting antecedents to telepresence. The proposed model is tested using 391 online consumers and results from the study are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the boundary between the Western Transverse Ranges province and Inner Continental Borderland of Southern California, strain is partitioned across the sinistral-oblique Anacapa-Dume Fault system. Sycamore Knoll, a pop-up structure 20 km west of Point Dume in the hanging wall of the north-dipping Anacapa-Dume Fault, stands out as an anomalous bathymetric high along the Southern California coast. We synthesize new and existing geophysical datasets, including multibeam bathymetry/backscatter and single/multichannel seismic, to understand the morphology and tectonic implications of Sycamore Knoll. We identify a complete eustatic low-stand submerged marine-terrace package encircling Sycamore Knoll platform that corresponds to the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). The marine-terrace deposits and wave-planed surface of Sycamore Knoll require a late Quaternary uplift rate of 0.55 (+0.5/−0.3) mm/yr relative to sea-level. By combining our uplift rate with previous estimates of basin subsidence and a revised structural model of the Anacapa-Dume Fault, we determine a maximum slip rate in latest Quaternary time of 1.50 (+0.5/−0.3) mm/yr and hence a post-LGM rate of convergence across the Anacapa-Dume Fault of 0.60 (+0.2/−0.1) mm/yr. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose This study aims to investigate the relationships among sensory, emotional and cognitive attributes on a hotel’s website, customers’ telepresence, their attitudes toward the hotel’s website, brand attitudes and their behavioral intentions, based on telepresence and parasocial interaction theories as theoretical backgrounds.Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional, online, self-administered survey was conducted to examine the proposed framework from previous hotel guests in the USA, who booked the hotel via its website within the previous 12 months.Findings Results identified sensory and emotional attributes influenced customers’ telepresence; however, cognitive attributes did not affect telepresence on the hotel’s website. Telepresence then influenced customers’ attitudes toward the hotel’s website and their behavioral intentions. Both attitudes toward the hotel’s website and brand attitudes influenced customers’ behavioral intentions.Originality/value This study was the first study to propose the telepresence model in the hotel website context, investigating antecedents and outcomes of the telepresence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Surgical telementoring, consisting of an expert surgeon guiding a less experienced surgeon through advanced or novel cases from a remote location, is an evolving technology which has potential to become an integral part of surgical practice. This study sought to apprise the attitudes of rural general surgeons toward the possible benefits and applications of surgical telementoring in their practices.Methods: A survey assessing demographics and attitudes toward telementoring was e-mailed to members of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Advisory Council for Rural Surgery and posted to the ACS website in areas targeting rural surgeons. A link to a webpage with a description of surgical telementoring and brief demonstrative video were included with the survey.Results: There were 159 respondents, with 82.3 % of them practicing in communities smaller than 50,000 people. Overall, 78.6 % felt that telementoring would be useful to their practice, and 69.8 % thought it would benefit their hospitals. There was no correlation between years of practice and perceived usefulness of surgical telementoring. When asked the single most useful, or primary, application of surgical telementoring there was a split between learning new techniques (46.5 %) and intraoperative assistance with unexpected findings (39.0 %). When asked to select all applications in which they would be interested in using telementoring from a list of possible uses, surgeons most frequently selected: intraoperative consultation for unexpected findings (67.7 %), trauma consultation (32.9 %), and laparoscopic colectomy (32.9 %).Conclusions: Surgical telementoring is on the verge of widespread use but industry and surgical societies remain ambivalent about supporting its implementation due to concerns over lack of interest. This study demonstrates interest among rural surgeons. While there are differing opinions regarding compensation of the telementoring, the most common, single interest in the use of surgical telementoring was for learning new techniques or skill sets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Remote telepresence provided by tele-operated robotics represents a new means for obtaining important health information, improving older adults' social and daily functioning and providing peace of mind to family members and caregivers who live remotely. In this study we tested the feasibility of use and acceptance of a remotely controlled robot with video-communication capability in independently living, cognitively intact older adults. Materials and Methods: A mobile remotely controlled robot with video-communication ability was placed in the homes of eight seniors. The attitudes and preferences of these volunteers and those of family or friends who communicated with them remotely via the device were assessed through survey instruments. Results: Overall experiences were consistently positive, with the exception of one user who subsequently progressed to a diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment. Responses from our participants indicated that in general they appreciated the potential of this technology to enhance their physical health and well-being, social connectedness, and ability to live independently at home. Remote users, who were friends or adult children of the participants, were more likely to test the mobility features and had several suggestions for additional useful applications. Conclusions: Results from the present study showed that a small sample of independently living, cognitively intact older adults and their remote collaterals responded positively to a remote controlled robot with video-communication capabilities. Research is needed to further explore the feasibility and acceptance of this type of technology with a variety of patients and their care contacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the vital role that telemedicine plays in acute trauma care in a rural setting. Eastern Maine Medical Center (EMMC) in Bangor has experimented with various methods of clinical telemedicine for trauma management. Several benefits of telemedicine in rural trauma care include participation in initial assessment, unifying providers at all levels, and great potential to reduce costs. Several barriers to successful rural teletrauma are also included.

Purpose - Since web sites are collection of several features, this paper examines web site interactivity - objective and subjective - at the feature level in terms of three underlying dimensions. The purpose of this paper is to understand the distinction between objective and subjective interactivity and to investigate their effects on customer satisfaction, behavioral intention, and telepresence. Design/methodology/approach - An experimental approach is used to study online shopping behavior from two retail web sites created to represent high and low interactivity. Student subjects, recruited from US universities, are given a task to purchase a product/gift certificate within a given budget. Analysis of variance and Lisrel are used to analyze the effects of interactivity. Findings - Empirical results support objective and subjective interactivity as distinct constructs and while both positively impact online shoppers' satisfaction and behavioral intentions, only subjective interactivity influences telepresence. The Lisrel analysis also indicates that telepresence directly affects behavioral intentions and satisfaction does not fully mediate its impact. Research limitations/implications - The direct relationships between objective and subjective interactivity is not examined in this paper and this relationship is likely to be more complex in the external world than can be included in an experimental setting. However, by being able to design each web site feature along the three dimensions of interactivity, it is possible to more effectively demonstrate the impact of objective and subjective interactivity as well as the merits of feature-level interactivity. Practical implications - If interactivity is viewed only at the overall level, then it is difficult to decide how to build an interactive web site. By employing the underlying theoretical dimensions of interactivity at the feature level, this paper addresses challenges faced in the design of web sites, particularly issues regarding whether and how to make a feature interactive. Originality/value - Despite the growing attention to interactivity, there is limited understanding of its influences and impacts. The distinction between objective and subjective interactivity is able to shed deeper insights into the relationship between interactivity and satisfaction. This is one of the first such studies to investigate the effects of interactivity on telepresence, satisfaction, and behavioral intentions, key outcome measures in online retailing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer, commissioned as the first federal vessel dedicated solely to ocean exploration, will offer unparalleled opportunities to the scientific and education communities for "reaching out in new ways to stakeholders to improve the literacy of learners of all ages with respect to ocean issues" (The President's Panel on Ocean Exploration, 2000) and for enhancing awareness of Ocean Literacy Essential Principle #7 "The ocean is little explored." Using a systematically mission-driven exploration protocol and advanced technological instrumentation and systems to explore little-known or unknown regions of the ocean, the ship will employ an integrated telepresence system that will provide broadband satellite transmission of data and discoveries in real time for science, education, and outreach. This paper describes the capabilities and assets of the ship, begins to address some of the opportunities that the ship will offer for "learning in new ways," describes the Okeanos Explorer Education Forum held in the summer of 2008, and addresses some of the issues that will be taken into consideration in using real-time data in a variety of learning environments as the education program for the ship unfolds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) approved the da Vinci surgical system for all abdominal operations in July 2000. In the past 6 years, virtually all gastrointestinal operations have been accomplished using telerobotic techniques. The purpose of this review is to summarize the short-term outcomes achieved with telerobotic gastrointestinal operations.Methods: All case series of telerobotic gastrointestinal operations identified by PubMed searches are included in this review.Results: Case series document the safety and efficacy of telerobotic cholecystectomy, fundoplication, Heller myotomy, gastric bypass, colectomy, gastrectomy, and pancreatectomy. The procedures were accomplished with low rates of conversion to laparoscopic operations, mortality, and morbidity. When comparison groups were available, the analysis shows that telerobotic operations required more time than the laparoscopic operations, although for telerobotic cholecystectomy and telerobotic fundoplication, this difference disappeared in 10 to 20 operations. Specific patient advantages were not identified for telerobotic operations compared with laparoscopic operations, except for a decreased esophageal perforation rate during telerobotic Heller myotomy. Surgeons benefited from the three-dimensional imaging, the handlike motions of the robotic instruments, and an ergonomically comfortable position.Conclusion: All telerobotic gastrointestinal operations are feasible and can be performed with safety and efficacy. It is difficult to demonstrate patient-specific advantages of telerobotic surgery over laparoscopic operations. Nonetheless, telerobotic surgical systems offer distinct advantages to surgeons and may facilitate an increase in the number of surgeons performing advanced laparoscopic gastrointestinal operations. In addition, telerobotics offer a digital information platform that enables surgical simulation and augmented-reality surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the history of robotics in urology. The word "robot" is derived from the Czechoslovakian term "robota" which means forced work. A surgical robot is described as a computer-controlled manipulator with artificial sensing and modern surgical robotic systems are categorized into off-line and on-line. Licensed commercial rights to the SRI Green Telepresence Surgery Systems are used to establish Intuitive Surgical Systems in 1995. The master-slave system, Zeus Surgical System, from Computer Motion received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for limited abdominal operations in October 2001.

In the USA, several telestroke networks have been successfully implemented in which a stroke centre of excellence provides expertise to community and rural hospitals via telemedicine. Stroke patients can thus receive round-the-clock access to stroke expertise. The Remote Presence (RP) system is used in several of these telestroke networks. The stroke expert uses a laptop and wireless Internet to connect to the RP robot in the peripheral emergency department. This improves the geographical reach of stroke specialist care, and improves patient outcomes as well as conforming with best practice. The stroke network concept combined with telemedicine is a powerful way of transforming stroke care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]