Child-Centered Telepresence: UI and Phygital Cues for Social Presence in Primary Classrooms

Telepresence robots are increasingly adopted in educational settings to support students who cannot attend school in person. However, in primary school contexts, telepresence cannot be reduced to audio–video continuity and navigation: acceptance depends on whether the system enables a socially legible presence within classroom routines and peer interactions. This paper investigates how interface design and visual characterization can jointly support social presence in telepresence robotics for primary education. The study builds on a child-centered co-design pathway conducted with 50 children through three workshop sessions focused on (I) needs and desired functions, (II) body/embodiment and personalization, and (III) the remote driving interface. Workshop outputs (drawings, structured worksheets, interface layouts, and group discussions) were analyzed to derive design requirements and to inform UI requirements structured as social-presence cues. Results show that children consistently ask to be represented through the robot and to communicate intentions and emotional states; when asked how these needs should be implemented, they identify the robot’s body and the user interface as the main touchpoints. Accordingly, the paper defines requirements around identity/recognition, turn-taking and intention visibility, emotion/state expression, and the integration of didactic tools and system clarity, translating them into a web-based interface architecture that treats the UI as a mediator of social cues rather than a mere control panel. To complement UI cues without adding physical burden, we discuss a lightweight phygital solution based on a projected “dress” that supports recognizability and self-expression on commercially available platforms. The paper also outlines an evaluation pathway for a Figma prototype, combining usability testing and component-based assessment to examine how children understand and use the proposed functions. The contribution informs the design of telepresence systems that move from instrumental mediation toward more inclusive, expressive, and context-sensitive classroom participation.