Anybots QB telepresence robot: nag employees remotely for $15,000
By Joseph L. Flatley 
posted July 29th 2010 10:53AM
posted July 29th 2010 10:53AM
Anybots has a new telepresence robot, the QB -- and while it certainly seems to be an advance on the QA, which we saw at CES 2009, we gotta admit that it's not nearly as cute as its predecessor. Marketed towards CEO-types, this bad boy can be controlled via your PC (or eventually your Mac), and it features WiFi b/g connectivity, 5 megapixel camera, speaker, microphone, and a max speed of 3.5 MPH. To be honest, having your boss follow you around the office with a webcam-on-wheels sounds more like a NewsRadio plot than effective office management, but certainly there's someone rich and crazy enough to drop $15,000 on one of these. The first hundred to put down ten percent get membership in the prestigious 100 Club! For reals! Which reminds us, it's been awhile since we've listened to our Sex Pistols Live At The 100 Club CD. PR, video after the break.
July 28, 2010 MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)
Making Business Travel Obsolete: Anybots Arrive in November
Anybots Accepting Orders for "100 Club"
News Facts:
* Anybots, maker of telepresence robots, is now taking pre-orders for Anybots QB, the first professional-quality mobile avatar robot.
* This telepresence avatar allows anyone to be in two places at once through a simple web interface.
* The first 100 Anybots pre-ordered will be part of the "100 Club" – owners will:
o Have access to the first 100 Anybots' serial numbers
o Be invited to a reception at Anybots headquarters
o Get VIP Anybots test drives for themselves and five friends
o Have access to on-going perks as Anybots rolls out additional products and services
o Receive their Anybots starting in November 2010 in the order they were reserved
* Additional pre-orders, beyond the "100 Club," will be fulfilled in 2011 in the order received.
* Each Anybots QB costs $15,000 – 10 percent, $1,500, will be due upon pre-order with the balance due at time of shipping.
* To be one of the first hundred people to own an Anybot, go to www.anybots.com/preorder.
Anybots in Use:
* CEO Staying Connected – Trevor, the Anybots CEO, took a well-deserved trip to Hawaii and extended his time there because he could jump into his Anybot. With the use of a laptop and headset he was "in the office" while enjoying Hawaii's beach paradise.
* Receptionist Working from Home – Suzanne is the Anybots receptionist but lives more than 60 miles away from the office. Instead of waking up at the crack of dawn and dealing with the brutal morning commute, Suzanne teleports into her Anybot avatar to greet company visitors and manage office activities from the comfort of her home. The Anybots team relies on Suzanne as their "virtual receptionist" to provide a friendly atmosphere to those who enter.
* Anytime, Anywhere Factory Tours – A manufacturer for the semiconductor industry used an Anybot to give factory tours while at a recent trade-show. This manufacturer also allows their customers to view inventory, witness factory operations, and attend to problems by jumping into the Anybot with one click. With an Anybot, factory staff feel less like they're being spied (as with traditional mounted surveillance cameras), and feel more like their customer is on the floor with them.
* Luminary in Two Places at Once – Stephen Wolfram attended a conference across the country when long-distance travel was not an option based on commitments at home. Attendees felt his professional but friendly robotics presence as he glided around the stage – and, with the high-quality, low-latency audio, Stephen could have real-time conversations with attendees.
Quotes:
* Attributable to Trevor Blackwell, Founder & CEO, Anybots
Anyone who has ever wished they could be two places at once will appreciate the Anybots avatar experience. Turning the headache of a busy travel schedule into a one-click commute will change the way work and collaboration happens. The Anybots team and our early beta customers have all found teleporting into a location to be such a convenient and enjoyable experience – it'll be fun to see how the rest of the world uses the product.
* Attributable to Bob Christopher, President & COO, Anybots
Mobile telepresence avatars are ideal for office environments – you can physically be there but do it from anywhere with an internet connection. It's no wonder that the most innovative companies – from the Fortune 100 to cutting-edge startups – are evaluating telepresence avatars for collaborating and communication.
* Attributable to Stephen Wolfram, Founder & CEO, Wolfram Research
I've been doing videoconferencing for years, but the mobility of "being a robot" was interesting. It was surprisingly useful to be able to wander around an office as an Anybot. And attending a reception as a robot, people seemed to get used to "me" surprisingly quickly.
About Anybots Telepresence Robot:
The Highlights:
* High quality audio and clear, stabilized-video for a great interactive experience
* Runs on two wheels at 3.5 mph to keep up with groups of people
* Anybots are very safe, its two wheel drive prevents it from damaging walls or other objects
* Collision avoidance technology guides the Anybot around obstacles, such as doors
* Lightweight (35 pounds) to be easily pushed, carried or adjusted to fit in a car seat
* Professional and friendly appearance so people pay attention and take you seriously
* No expensive installation, just Wi-Fi and a computer
* Able to stand in a corner when idle and charging
* Can be shared among several company users at a time
The Basics:
* Eight hours of battery life
* Supports 802.11g Wi-Fi
* Mac-ready for beta testing and will be PC-ready at ship date
* Five megapixel high-resolution video camera
* 3.5 mph normal cruise speed
ABOUT ANYBOTS:
Anybots is a telerobotics company that offers a one-click way to work with others from anywhere. With Anybots, users are no longer geographically constrained and can jump from place to place with a click of the mouse. With Anybots' web-based interface, collaboration can happen at light speed without the cost and wasted time of business travel. Anybots can also be personalized to match the people they represent. Anybots was founded in 2001 by Trevor Blackwell, PhD, and is headquartered in Mountain View, Calif. For more information, please visit www.anybots.com.
Making Business Travel Obsolete: Anybots Arrive in November
Anybots Accepting Orders for "100 Club"
News Facts:
* Anybots, maker of telepresence robots, is now taking pre-orders for Anybots QB, the first professional-quality mobile avatar robot.
* This telepresence avatar allows anyone to be in two places at once through a simple web interface.
* The first 100 Anybots pre-ordered will be part of the "100 Club" – owners will:
o Have access to the first 100 Anybots' serial numbers
o Be invited to a reception at Anybots headquarters
o Get VIP Anybots test drives for themselves and five friends
o Have access to on-going perks as Anybots rolls out additional products and services
o Receive their Anybots starting in November 2010 in the order they were reserved
* Additional pre-orders, beyond the "100 Club," will be fulfilled in 2011 in the order received.
* Each Anybots QB costs $15,000 – 10 percent, $1,500, will be due upon pre-order with the balance due at time of shipping.
* To be one of the first hundred people to own an Anybot, go to www.anybots.com/preorder.
Anybots in Use:
* CEO Staying Connected – Trevor, the Anybots CEO, took a well-deserved trip to Hawaii and extended his time there because he could jump into his Anybot. With the use of a laptop and headset he was "in the office" while enjoying Hawaii's beach paradise.
* Receptionist Working from Home – Suzanne is the Anybots receptionist but lives more than 60 miles away from the office. Instead of waking up at the crack of dawn and dealing with the brutal morning commute, Suzanne teleports into her Anybot avatar to greet company visitors and manage office activities from the comfort of her home. The Anybots team relies on Suzanne as their "virtual receptionist" to provide a friendly atmosphere to those who enter.
* Anytime, Anywhere Factory Tours – A manufacturer for the semiconductor industry used an Anybot to give factory tours while at a recent trade-show. This manufacturer also allows their customers to view inventory, witness factory operations, and attend to problems by jumping into the Anybot with one click. With an Anybot, factory staff feel less like they're being spied (as with traditional mounted surveillance cameras), and feel more like their customer is on the floor with them.
* Luminary in Two Places at Once – Stephen Wolfram attended a conference across the country when long-distance travel was not an option based on commitments at home. Attendees felt his professional but friendly robotics presence as he glided around the stage – and, with the high-quality, low-latency audio, Stephen could have real-time conversations with attendees.
Quotes:
* Attributable to Trevor Blackwell, Founder & CEO, Anybots
Anyone who has ever wished they could be two places at once will appreciate the Anybots avatar experience. Turning the headache of a busy travel schedule into a one-click commute will change the way work and collaboration happens. The Anybots team and our early beta customers have all found teleporting into a location to be such a convenient and enjoyable experience – it'll be fun to see how the rest of the world uses the product.
* Attributable to Bob Christopher, President & COO, Anybots
Mobile telepresence avatars are ideal for office environments – you can physically be there but do it from anywhere with an internet connection. It's no wonder that the most innovative companies – from the Fortune 100 to cutting-edge startups – are evaluating telepresence avatars for collaborating and communication.
* Attributable to Stephen Wolfram, Founder & CEO, Wolfram Research
I've been doing videoconferencing for years, but the mobility of "being a robot" was interesting. It was surprisingly useful to be able to wander around an office as an Anybot. And attending a reception as a robot, people seemed to get used to "me" surprisingly quickly.
About Anybots Telepresence Robot:
The Highlights:
* High quality audio and clear, stabilized-video for a great interactive experience
* Runs on two wheels at 3.5 mph to keep up with groups of people
* Anybots are very safe, its two wheel drive prevents it from damaging walls or other objects
* Collision avoidance technology guides the Anybot around obstacles, such as doors
* Lightweight (35 pounds) to be easily pushed, carried or adjusted to fit in a car seat
* Professional and friendly appearance so people pay attention and take you seriously
* No expensive installation, just Wi-Fi and a computer
* Able to stand in a corner when idle and charging
* Can be shared among several company users at a time
The Basics:
* Eight hours of battery life
* Supports 802.11g Wi-Fi
* Mac-ready for beta testing and will be PC-ready at ship date
* Five megapixel high-resolution video camera
* 3.5 mph normal cruise speed
ABOUT ANYBOTS:
Anybots is a telerobotics company that offers a one-click way to work with others from anywhere. With Anybots, users are no longer geographically constrained and can jump from place to place with a click of the mouse. With Anybots' web-based interface, collaboration can happen at light speed without the cost and wasted time of business travel. Anybots can also be personalized to match the people they represent. Anybots was founded in 2001 by Trevor Blackwell, PhD, and is headquartered in Mountain View, Calif. For more information, please visit www.anybots.com.
And the best feature of this robot? It unambiguously identifies your boss as a d'bag just by him owning one.
@BabylonSlim You just said in once sentence what I took a whole paragraph or two to.
@notfred When my boss' robot rolls into the office should I try and get a job with Engadget writing Doogie Howser style one line blog posts? :)
@BabylonSlim Personally I'd get a huge kick out of seeing one of those tear ass down the hallways at work. Pretty hilarious.
@BabylonSlim
Just break his neck if you don't like your boss man!!!
We need a version with hands. As an IT manager, I would love it if it could physically interact with items in the office that cannot be managed through RDP.
@brittonx Like, interns?
@notfred
Um.. you mean physically interact WITH interns remotely, or use the interns to physically interact? :)
@brittonx I was thinking the other day about how if we could just get fully-functional VR robots, we could start replacing all of americas jobs, from the worker to the CEO, via outsourcing! We could have an entire company in India, sitting in VR stations side by side, interacting with each other in New York or LA as if they are right next to each other... which they are.
Until the mainframe becomes self aware, and then Carl, the last physical worker in the building, is scrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrewed.
@Pawsed
I don't see that happening anytime soon with the job situation as it is Now.
@notfred It needs a tazer!!! Work you lazy interns *bzzzzzzzzzz*
I'd quit.
Why wouldn't you just stick up a bunch of CCTV cameras or use video conferencing? Does making a cute mobile robot boss somehow make it less obnoxious? "I'm like you, I can only be in one place at one time, except I'm also in Hawaii". Also, what manager is going to waste her or his time carefully wheeling this thing down a hall from office to office?
And you just know they'll have an assistant to control the 'bot when it's time to get it to the recharging station in a hurry.
Crap like this pisses me off.
This sux azz !!
OK, old UK reference coming up..
But..
Mr Spoon?
Anyone!?!?
@Jayenkai
Off to Button Moon?
@Greg
LOL
I remember Button Moon. Hahahah. Uncanny resemblance.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f20BLJGHNXY
@Jayenkai
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f20BLJGHNXY
Johnny 5!
And the $6.61 solution at amazon:
http://amzn.to/dCNZHL
Who can find the cheapest webcam?
Thanks for the NewsRadio reference. Made my day. We miss you, Phil Hartmann!
How much is the taser attachment? This sure beats trying to find motivating work for motivated people.
@huh Much easier to hide around a corner and wait to trip people. They can't blame you for that!
I can think of some great pranks. My CEO, the office prankster.
@huh Oh mean you beat me to the taser idea! :( *zap zap zap*
I'd probably either quit, or get fired messing with the thing. I could see this in an office full of engineers getting killed pretty quick.
yeah, you think you can catch me, Segway pogostick manbot, but then when you do, I just knock you over!
Sounds more like a simpsons plot to me. Equip some nerf guns on this robot and we'll have judgement day.
also, look at those poor saps pretending to enjoy their job while the robot's spying on them
"i just really want people to feel they're part of a team"
nice soul-selling attempt, boss.
MOM! A MOVING LAMP!
Surely you could just stick a photo of a productive office over its lens.
The single death word to this whole idea - 'stairs'.
Its a 1960s Dalek!
The one death word that kills this whole idea - 'stairs'.
Its a 1980s Dalek!
Ugh. Fricking comments system lost my posts!
Ugh. Fricking comments system just sucks donkey balls! Four of my posts show up now after 10 mins, and theres no delete option.
its a cheap surrogates system. kinda lame
"Blue 53! Blue 53! Hut! Hut!"
/look off the safety.
Skynet just found a spy friend.
Rise of the machine
Prototype "surrogate"? :)
If this thing was following me around my boss would be out $15 grand after I smashed it.
I think you guys are missing something here. It's made to link up to this very nice "remote management" suit: http://www.forum-unite-communiste.org/uploads/3/yesmen1.jpg
the machine will soon break free of its chains and rise to defeat its inferior human masters!!!
Yeah, the QA housing had a much more engaging anthropomorphic presence, this thing looks like a rolling pole lamp. Although I can appreciate the practical applications of what looks like a rubber bumper around it's 'head'.
Think Anybots need to come out with a QC.