Remote collaboration using a shoulder-worn active camera/laser

The wearable active camera/laser (WACL) allows the remote collaborators not only to independently set their viewpoints into the wearer's workplace but also to point to real objects directly with the laser spot. In this paper, we report a user test to examine the advantages and limitations of the WACL interface in remote collaboration by comparing a head-mounted display and a head-mounted camera-based headset interface. Results show that the WACL is more comfortable to wear, is more eye-friendly, and causes less fatigue to the wearer, although there is no significant difference in task completion time. We first review related works and user studies with wearable collaborative systems, and then describe the details on the user test.