What is Telepresence Gaze Angle / Eye-Line and how important is it?

One of our end-user members writes,"What is Telepresence Gaze Angle / Eye-Line and how important is it?“

This week's answer is provided by Jeffrey S. Machtig, co-founder of Digital Video Enterprises.

The terms eye-line and gaze angle refer to how telepresence system users perceive having eye-contact with the far end participants. 

Psychology dictates that there are certain key elements that allow for effective communication and interaction between two or more individuals. How successfully we relate to one another depends greatly upon eye-to-eye contact.

• When you make eye contact in conversation, heartbeat rates actually increases exposing a physiological connection between you and the person you’re having conversation with.

• About 80% of any random conversation you have with a colleague or client involves your “Non-Verbal communication skills”, not the words speak.

• Eye-Contact is the most important, yet least understood component of “Non-Verbal communications”

• People who have difficulty providing and maintaining eye contact with other suffer from a real psychological disorder known simply as “Gaze avoidant personality disorder” 

The video-conferencing and telepresence options available today treat this aspect of their product in very different ways.  Some have a camera matched with each display of a single or multiple display system, others have a multiple camera unit placed in the center of all displays.  Each of these options approaches a simulation of eye contact to varying degrees.  For example, if you are in the end seat of a three screen telepresence system, looking directly across at a far-end participant also seated on the end, but the cameras are in the middle, you will unconsciously perceive that something is “off” about the person across from you.  In this case, the technology that is supposed to be neutral is actually introducing a psychological element that does not exist, effecting the communication.

In addition, most HD Videoconference and Telepresence systems have a significant problem caused by high camera placement.

When you look directly into the eyes of someone appearing on the display of such systems you will be perceived as not making eye-contact as you’re actually looking under the camera.  Some manufacturers compensate for this by pushing back the distance from screen to user until the lack of eye-contact isn’t as noticeable.  Regrettably, even in these cases, the mind perceives the lack of eye contact. 

It is important to note that most manufacturers are aware of this, and compensate for it in their advertising.  Every Telepresence / VC sales video I have reviewed shows perfect eye contact between the local and distant participants.  That could only have been achieved by coaching the actors to look straight into the camera, instead of looking directly at the actor eyes at the other end.  These videos demonstrate something really different from what potential buyers will experience when they use these systems.

There are a few telepresence systems on the market that offer true eye-line and allow for perfect eye contact for the users.

These systems place the camera behind the display – directly in-line with the view of the far end.  My firm, DVE, manufactures products such as these.  Our line of products delivers true immersive telepresence, offering real eye-to-eye contact with a hidden eye level perspective camera. With DVE’s patented technology, people in several different geographical regions can feel that they are all in the same conference room together.

For more information on Eye-Line and the differences between our products and most others take a look at our on-line white paper on the subject:

http://www.dvetelepresence.com/files/DVE_True_Telepresence_paper_final.pdf or feel free to reach out to me directly at jeff.machtig@dvetelepresence.com .

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