Giraffe video conferencing robot to weird employees out
By Jeannie Choe 
posted Mar 7th 2007 10:14PM
posted Mar 7th 2007 10:14PM
So your boss is home sick today, huh? On a business trip you say? Think twice. Thanks to HeadThere's new developments in Giraffe video conferencing robots, people can literally be in two places at once (and will look extremely creepy in one of those places). The 5-foot, 8-inch-tall Giraffe robot presents an awkward alternative to traditional video conferencing by creating an actual physical presence -- it even adjusts to a 4-foot, 5-inch height in case you interact with someone who's seated. Using special software and a webcam, the user can operate their robotic representative from a remote location: you can tilt the head, er, 14.1-inch LCD screen up and down and maneuver the robot about the office, while taking in sights and sounds with a 2.1-megapixel, 8x zoom camera and microphone. You definitely won't be shuffling through papers or sipping free coffee, however, you'd be able to chat with / micromanage your employees and coworkers thanks to a high-volume speaker placed appropriately where a mouth would be. Now word yet on availability, but we do know that one robo-doppelganger will run you somewhere between $1,800 and $3,000 (those pre-ordering will receive a discount).
[Via Crave]
[Via Crave]
Anyone thinking Demolition Man? Freakin sweet....
Looks like something I would see in a strange steam punk movie. The girl is giving it a thumbs up, but this thing won't be around for long. A manager has to give their employees a little bit of breathing room.
If the place I worked at had a robot follow me around with a digital image of my boss yapping in my ear, I'd quit the next day.
- Josh
Where's your head at? - http://www.StateOfBrain.com
Does it have a camera on the back? If not, it's gonna sport a big "kick me" sign in about 10 minutes...
Oh, the practical jokes you can play on this one!
I'd just sneak up behind it, grab it, and shove it into a broom closet.
I, for one, welcome our new robot middle-managers.
The boss is a robot! I know it! I have _proof_!
I wonder if this costs more than using a surrogate like George Bluth? :)
Hmm now I know what to do with my new irobot kit. Putting a screen and wifi connection on it would not be as expensive as this.
Complete with an 8x zoom for staring at your female co-worker's chest.
I'd worry about anyone that spent $1800 of company money on one of these things. I'd worry more if he spent his own cash on it. However, the humor value would be excellent. Imagine working and this screen on a stick shows up over your shoulder and asks you if you finished the quarterlies that are due Friday. I'd borrow a coworker's lipstick and draw a big happy smile on that screen and pretend I had no clue it was even speaking. I'd wet myself if that rolledo ver to someone and the employee just got up, screamed, and ran away. If nothing else, provides for a great distraction - visits to Pogo.com and other flash game sites would drop as people diverted their idle mischief towards screwing with the robot. I could only imagine the torment this thing would endure during the slow season.
Creepy indeed ... but I was cracking up thinking about some company owner setting up this "giraffe" with a video loop of himself repeating "Get back to work, you freeloading bastards!!" and other such boss-ology, and having some flunky operate it to harass the employees -- while he was actually out playing golf.
The loud speaker is nice but I think this would be more effective with a larger display so your head is bigger than theirs. I can see two theories on the sound level when repositioning itself in the work environment. Silent... sneak up on the solitaire bandits, or creaky like an old soviet battle tank for a "presence" in the office while "on patrol". Two heights is cool, but I would make them 6' (for seated employees) and 8' for standing employees, with sensors that raise it when it detects an employee who stands up during a conversation. The ability to lean in over the employee probably has some value as well. Some kind of label that says to everyone it's more important than they are too... Employee Behavior Oversight, or something. Even cooler... have a library of taped messages for things like termination, with a feed back to security to ensure they listen to the whole message. I see a role in work-place drug testing as well.
I can see myself tazer-ing this thing when it rolls up to my office......
After reading this article and the comments it generated, I should make it clear that I designed the Giraffe to do a lot of things other than to let your boss roam around the office from afar! ;-) In fact, it’s more likely employees would use it to keep a presence at the office while they are away.
The Giraffe was designed to be an approachable and user-friendly communications tool. When you speak through a Giraffe, you’re actually looking at and speaking to a familiar face, not a robot. It is clear once you start using the Giraffe that conventional office manners apply. This means that someone controlling a Giraffe won’t sneak up on anyone, and as with all office equipment, the Giraffe shouldn’t be vandalized. ;-)
Learn more about the Giraffe
-Dan ( Founder, HeadThere Inc. )
this device is realy nice invention in this world its very easyist for traders for her meetings.