We want to pilot the possible approaches of using telepresence robots in teaching. We are investigating whether the use of telepresence robots to bring teachers and students into a common physical learning space in cases where their participation would be prevented due to disability, health condition, location, etc., offers them a greater experience of presence, closer to contact learning, compared to the solutions used so far. Among other things, this is a prerequisite for high-quality implementation of problem and project based learning in a contact learning situation, encouraging the integration of active learning methods (group work, discussions, etc.) into various activities and offering more versatile opportunities for participation in learning.
Social isolation and the resulting mental problems have been pointed out in various research articles covering higher education studies during the COVID-19 era. Presence mediated by a telepresence robot gives the robot user more versatile freedom to act in physical space, for example, moving around independently, establishing contact and eye contact with fellow students (including changing one's relative height - sitting vs. standing companion), controlling objects in the physical environment using voice commands, additional manipulators, movement, etc.