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ProjecTA: A Semi-Humanoid Robotic Teaching Assistant with In-Situ Projection for Guided Tours

Hanqing Zhou, Yichuan Zhang, Zihan Zhang, Wei Zhang, Chao Wang, Pengcheng An

TL;DR

ProjecTA introduces a gesture-capable mobile robot with head-mounted in-situ projection to guide nomadic, walk-and-talk learning in a makerspace. Through a within-subject study against a chest-screen Baseline, ProjecTA significantly reduces extraneous cognitive load and enhances perceived usability and cross-modal coordination, while achieving comparable learning outcomes. Qualitative findings reveal near-object projections reduce attention switching, support group engagement, and make hidden details visible, enabling richer, spatially anchored explanations. The work offers design implications for integrating in-situ projection with robotic TAs, outlining avenues for more expressive multimodal orchestration and human–robot collaboration in physical learning environments.

Abstract

Robotic teaching assistants (TAs) often use body-mounted screens to deliver content. In nomadic, walk-and-talk learning, such as tours in makerspaces, these screens can distract learners from real-world objects, increasing extraneous cognitive load. HCI research lacks empirical comparisons of potential alternatives, such as robots with in-situ projection versus screen-based counterparts; little knowledge has been derived for designing such alternatives. We introduce ProjecTA, a semi-humanoid, gesture-capable TA that guides learners while projecting near-object overlays coordinated with speech and gestures. In a mixed-method study (N=24) in a university makerspace, ProjecTA significantly reduced extraneous load and outperformed its screen-based counterpart in perceived usability, usefulness of visual display, and cross-modal complementarity. Qualitative analyses revealed how ProjecTA's coordinated projections, gestures, and speech anchored explanations in place and time, enhancing understanding in ways a screen could not. We derive key design implications for future robotic TAs leveraging spatial projection to support mobile learning in physical environments.

ProjecTA: A Semi-Humanoid Robotic Teaching Assistant with In-Situ Projection for Guided Tours

TL;DR

ProjecTA introduces a gesture-capable mobile robot with head-mounted in-situ projection to guide nomadic, walk-and-talk learning in a makerspace. Through a within-subject study against a chest-screen Baseline, ProjecTA significantly reduces extraneous cognitive load and enhances perceived usability and cross-modal coordination, while achieving comparable learning outcomes. Qualitative findings reveal near-object projections reduce attention switching, support group engagement, and make hidden details visible, enabling richer, spatially anchored explanations. The work offers design implications for integrating in-situ projection with robotic TAs, outlining avenues for more expressive multimodal orchestration and human–robot collaboration in physical learning environments.

Abstract

Robotic teaching assistants (TAs) often use body-mounted screens to deliver content. In nomadic, walk-and-talk learning, such as tours in makerspaces, these screens can distract learners from real-world objects, increasing extraneous cognitive load. HCI research lacks empirical comparisons of potential alternatives, such as robots with in-situ projection versus screen-based counterparts; little knowledge has been derived for designing such alternatives. We introduce ProjecTA, a semi-humanoid, gesture-capable TA that guides learners while projecting near-object overlays coordinated with speech and gestures. In a mixed-method study (N=24) in a university makerspace, ProjecTA significantly reduced extraneous load and outperformed its screen-based counterpart in perceived usability, usefulness of visual display, and cross-modal complementarity. Qualitative analyses revealed how ProjecTA's coordinated projections, gestures, and speech anchored explanations in place and time, enhancing understanding in ways a screen could not. We derive key design implications for future robotic TAs leveraging spatial projection to support mobile learning in physical environments.
Paper Structure (41 sections, 11 figures, 1 table)

This paper contains 41 sections, 11 figures, 1 table.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. RELATED WORK
  3. Robotic Teaching Assistants in Physical Learning Environments
  4. Public Augmentative Displays in Learning Settings
  5. Combining In-situ Projection with Robotic Systems
  6. Formative Study
  7. Online Ideation Workshop with Robotics and HCI Experts
  8. Participants and Procedure
  9. Major Insights
  10. On-site Bodystorming with Makerspace Experts
  11. Participants and Procedure
  12. Major Insights
  13. The ProjecTA System
  14. Design of ProjecTA
  15. System Implementation of ProjecTA
  16. ...and 26 more sections

Figures (11)

  • Figure 1: Formative studies: (a) warm-up materials and outcomes from the online ideation workshop; (b) scaffolding materials and outcomes from the on-site bodystorming.
  • Figure 2: Illustration of F-formation; F-formation applied to in-situ projection placement in the makerspace.
  • Figure 3: An exemplar usage scenario of ProjecTA during makerspace guided tours
  • Figure 4: Hardware components of ProjecTA consist of a mobile chassis, a gesture actuation module, a head-mounted projection module, and a chest-mounted screen (for baseline comparison).
  • Figure 5: Presentation choreography workflow, aligning speech, visuals, and gestures on a unified timeline.
  • ...and 6 more figures