telepresence
Latest
These beautiful objects symbolize human contact using cold, hidden machinery
Ask anyone who's tried maintaining a long-distance relationship: it's hard, and video chats, text messages and phone calls don't always satisfy our emotional needs. A lot of human relations are indirect, subtle actions of body language or behavior that aren't easily captured in video or text. Capturing the feeling of these unspoken cues seems is the point of "Saying things that can't be said," two students' final project at the Holon Institute of Technology. The series uses a mix of technology and familiar objects to create an abstract sense of presence between two distant partners.
iRobot's Ava 500 telepresence-on-a-stick is rolling out now (update: $69,500!!)
There are plenty of telepresence robots on the market already, but iRobot's new Ava 500 may just be the best option out there. The highlight here is that the device is completely autonomous, just like the company's RP-VITA healthcare bot. Once it maps out your office during an "exploration phase," you can schedule a conference to join via an iRobot app. When your meeting time comes around, you'll be assigned an available Ava, which will wheel itself into position in the conference room, theoretically avoiding obstacles along the way.
One of London's oldest museums will offer 'After Dark' tours via robot
We've seen telepresence robots used by everyone from doctors to check on remote patients to a student who needs to attend class. Now a robot is being used for a new purpose: museum tours. Soon you'll able to stage your own Night at the Museum, after hours at London's Tate Britain through a new project called After Dark. Unlike the movie where the exhibits come to life, in this version you'll be the unexpected thing moving around, manning one of four robots inside the museum. More spy cam than traditional tour, each robot is equipped with a spotlight that shines on exhibits heist-style as you pass by. The Workers, the creators of the project, say the robots aren't meant as a replacement for visiting the museum, and are instead designed to show the art from a different perspective, and literally, a different light. The group recently won the IK prize, a contest for digitally innovative projects that enhance public enjoyment of art. That win that scored them £60,000 to make their robotic dream a reality. Late-night tours of the Tate are expected to start at the end of the summer. Check out a video demo of the robots in action after the break.
KUBI telepresence robot arm for tablets now shipping, starting from $399
It was almost a year ago when we checked out Revolve Robotics' KUBI, a motorized tablet cradle that lets you remotely pan and tilt your device -- via an iOS app (Android version coming soon) or web portal -- during video calls. After missing its summer launch window, this US-made telepresence robot is finally shipping to its Indiegogo backers starting this week. Those who want in now can also order one through the company's website, albeit at much higher price points: the KUBI Hacker Edition for developers costs $399, whereas the prettier but otherwise identical KUBI Classic (pictured above) is asking for a steep $499 -- almost twice as much as the original intended price due to a change in tooling, for the sake of speeding up production. If you're really desperate for a Bluetooth LE robot arm for your tablet, order soon -- delivery is expected within three to four weeks. For now, you can get a glimpse of the first few KUBIs off the production line in the short clip after the break.
Romo update adds telepresence, lets kids terrorize siblings remotely (video)
Romo first rolled into our lives via Kickstarter. Since then we've seen it return leaner and meaner, with more improvements just announced. Romotive tells us that an app update coming today brings full telepresence functionality, allowing users to log into the device from anywhere via any iOS device or PC running a Chrome browser. Setting up the telepresence should be no harder than setting up a regular call, and once you're set, you'll get two-way video and audio -- plus control of the robot (including its expressions!). This not only gives Romo new scope for (almost literally) becoming one of the family, it adds a whole host of new use cases. Want a few ideas to get you started? There's a few in the suitably chipper video past the break.
iRobot teams up with Cisco for Ava 500 telepresence robot
We fully expected to see iRobot offer up further applications for its Ava development platform after *ahem* rolling out the RP-VITA, a medically-themed team up with In-Touch Health. The company's second partner is a biggie: it'll be working with Cisco on the Ava 500 telepresence bot. The system looks quite similar to the VITA, sporting what appears to be a nearly identical base. As with its predecessor, Ava's controlled by a fairly simple iPad program -- you can either pick a destination on a map or choose from a list of employee names and rooms you'd like to visit. Once inputted, the robot is autonomous in navigation, getting to the destination, while avoiding people and obstacles. When the meeting's over, it'll return to its base for charging. On the top, however, you'll find Cisco's TelePresence EX60 end-point, bringing the company's widely adopted platform to the mobile base, courtesy of a 21.5-inch HD display. The user's face will show up on the screen as the 'bot navigates through the halls, allowing you to talk about last night's Mad Men, should you (figuratively) run into anyone around the water cooler. You can also switch to private mode, if telepresence small talk isn't your thing. iRobot and Cisco will be showing off Ava at Infocomm later this month. If you can't wait for that, however, you'll find out a bit more in the press release after the break.
Robotic iPad stand KUBI shipping in July (and you can get a discount!)
One of the more interesting Indiegogo projects our sister site Engadget covered earlier this year at CES 2013 was the KUBI robotic iPad stand from Revolve Robotics (US$289 MSRP). While we were saddened to find out that by robotic, the company didn't mean that it's following you around on an air cushion, it's still a pretty cool project. KUBI is almost here; the company is going to start shipping the 'bot in July, and you can even get a discount on one through StackSocial. Rather than going through a detailed description of how KUBI works, I'll let the inventors tell you in the Engadget video seen at the bottom of this post. As for the discount, you can buy a KUBI for just $259 for a limited time by ordering it on StackSocial. TUAW is attempting to get a KUBI for a full review, so keep your eyes open in the next few weeks.
Comcast reportedly axing Skype on Xfinity June 1st
Well, Comcast's idea to charge users $10 a month for set-top Skype hardware went as well as you could have expected. If DSLReports' sources are correct, the offering will be quietly retired on June 1st due to, surprise surprise, "low adoption." If you were one of the few triple-play customers who ponied up for the gear, fear not, as the leaked internal e-mail says that existing users will continue to be supported. Given that you can snag subscription-free gear from Logitech, Biscotti and others, it's no surprise to see Skype on Xfinity joining Cisco's Umi on the island of misfit telepresence devices.
RP-VITA bringing its telepresence to seven North American hospitals
We've already seen the RP-VITA in action -- and so, for that matter, has the FDA. Now iRobot / InTouch Health's telepresence 'bot is ready to take the field. The companies today jointly unveiled a list of seven US and Mexican hospitals that will be using the iPad-friendly wheeled robot. The list includes a handful of locations that helped demo RP-VITA ahead of its official release. Check in after the break for all the locations, which include half a dozen in the US and one in Mexico.
R.BOT shows off Synergy Swan, a phone- or tablet-powered telepresence robot (video)
While wandering around the show floor at the Hong Kong Electronics Fair, we had to stop and take a closer peek at these cute-looking robots. Conveniently dubbed the Synergy Swan, this 14kg machine from Russian-based R.BOT (or Quanzhou Future Robot Technology in China) uses an Android device as its face and camera, as well as sending movement commands for its neck (with four degrees of freedom) and wheels (maximum speed about 1.8km/h) via Bluetooth. The Android phone or tablet will obviously be equipped with the appropriate apps for either telepresence or automated interaction with people -- the latter can simply be the tablet automatically starting to "talk" or play a video clip when a person smiles at it. Interested? You can nab a Synergy Swan for a surprisingly affordable $450, and there's also a smaller but stationary Synergy Mime for just $250. Jump right past the break to see R.BOT US CEO Dmitriy Subbotin show off his robots. %Gallery-185785%
Double Robotics shows off its iPad-equipped robot
We heard about Double Robotics and their plan to make an iPad-topped robot last year, but the real thing is running around the floor of Macworld/iWorld 2013 this week, and I think it's the coolest thing I've seen at the show. Company founder David Cann told me that Double was originally working on a toy accessory for iOS, when he and his co-founder discovered that they'd have to do a lot of traveling to Asia to set up manufacturing and production lines. They had the idea then of making a telepresence robot with an iOS device, and from that idea, the Double was eventually born. The thing is quite impressive -- it's basically an iPad mounted on top of a long pole, which is then attached to a two-wheel base, so it all looks and works similar to a Segway. The iPad itself is only used for communication (it's controlled with another iPad remotely, with both movement controls, height adjustment controls and video passed back and forth across the Internet), so the box at the bottom is a real robot, running movement and keeping the whole setup stable. I got to drive the unit around for a bit, and it reminded me of a first-person shooter game -- there are two sticks, one for movement and one for rotation. The whole setup seems very strange at first, but I definitely get how it could be used, as the video is very clear from the cameras, and the unit itself is very easy to control and move around. Cann told me that the company has about 900 pre-orders for the device so far, and the team has heard of possible applications in security, schools, factories and even real estate: House sellers could use the device to give a remote tour, or potential home buyers could visit property from a distance, or at a specific time of the day when they couldn't be there in person. The battery in the robot unit will last about eight hours or so, depending on exactly how much driving you're doing, according to Cann. There's a stand on the bottom that you can extend remotely, to save a little battery life and hold the unit in place. And of course as the pole goes higher, the robot has a little tougher time trying to keep the whole rig upright, but as far as I could see, it was very stable. We even gave the robot a little shove, and it was more than capable of balancing itself out. The whole thing was very impressive. At US$2,500, this isn't exactly a consumer product, unless you're a consumer with a lot of money to burn. But for a telepresence solution, that price is relatively cheap, and the added benefit of using an iPad could be very attractive to potential buyers as well. Cann said the Double is just about ready -- the company hopes to have units shipping out to customers within the month.
Revolve Robotics' KUBI spins your tablet around for teleconferences, we go hands-on
We've been covering telepresence robots for years, but those that have materialized aren't exactly within most people's budget. However, if all you need is some way to rotate your view on the other end of the line, then you may consider Revolve Robotics' KUBI. With six days left and just over $27,000 away from the $50,000 goal (the team was able to knock 50 percent off the original goal), this Indiegogo project hopes to offer a relatively affordable and simple telepresence solution for existing tablet users. The KUBI itself is essentially a tablet mount that can do a 300-degree pan plus 90-degree tilt, and the prototypes we saw featured two spring-loaded aluminium arms that elegantly pinches the tablet -- we've been told that they can even fit Microsoft's Surface in landscape. The robot is pretty much platform-agnostic as long as the tablet supports Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy, which is how the robot receives its motion commands.
Robotex Avatar for Home and Office eyes-on
Unless you have loads of cash at your disposal or work for the federal government, chances are you haven't heard of Robotex. The start-up, featured here at CES 2013's Eureka Alley, specializes in creating automated solutions for a variety of security applications (think: SWAT busts, radiation level monitoring, etc.). Traditionally, these high-end robotic solutions carry a price tag in the tens of thousands, but starting this week, Robotex is targeting the consumer market with its Avatar. Set to retail for $299, the blue tank-like bot links up with iOS devices (an Android version's coming in Q1) via USB to communicate with a companion app over Bluetooth 4.0 for remote monitoring. In its current incarnation, the Avatar doesn't do much apart from offering telepresence -- authenticated by the company's servers -- but the robot has been designed to be open source. To that end an SDK and HDK will be made available allowing tinkerers to craft up their own innovations. Unfortunately, due to the abundance of wireless signals here at the show, Robotex's reps weren't able to get the Avatar up and moving around the floor. But in a typical home environment, users should expect to get up to an hour and a half of "driving" time out of the robot. There's no video of the Avatar in action, so instead, check out the gallery below.
iRobot's RP-VITA mobile telepresence robot iPad app eyes-on (video)
It's a mouthful, we know, but the gist of the below video is this: a few months back, iRobot unveiled RP-VITA, a teleconferencing robot with a rolling base. The company's got all sorts of plans for the 'bot, but is starting things off with medical applications. It's co-branded the device with InTouch Health, positioning it as a method for allowing doctors to tend to patients remotely. An iRobot employee took RP-VITA for a spin around InTouch's Southern California mock hospital location, courtesy of an iPad at the robotics company's Bedford, MA location. The interface appears to be quite user-friendly -- just touch a location and RP-VITA starts driving, using its sensors to avoid obstacles along the way as a video feed show you where you're going. Once you reach a patient, you can tap on their image to interact with them (in the case of the dummies in the demo, however, that was easier said than done, of course). Along the bottom, the app offers the doctor large, easy-to-read vitals. Check out a full video of the demo after the break.
Proportional VR experiment shrinks man down to rat size, lets us play games with rodents
Sure, you can always play catch with the dog, but what kind of game can you play with a caged rodent? Well, "find the poster," apparently. A team of researchers from Universities in Spain, Germany, Austria, England and the US have put together a virtual reality system designed to let humans interact with rats at the rodent's scale, challenging human participants to find and lead the rodent to a unmarked goal. According to a paper published in PLoS One participants were "beamed" into the rat's environment by linking a head-mounted display and joystick to a rat-sized telepresence robot. Human players were then treated to a proportionally accurate representation of the game arena. The rat was there too, tracked with an overhead camera and represented by a human avatar. Participants were tasked with coaxing their opponent in front one of three posters in attempt to sleuth out which one represents the "winning" position. When both players are in front of the correct mystery poster, a bell sounds and the game ends. The game was primarily created to test a scaled immersive virtual reality teleoperator system, but researchers are optimistic the technology could be used to observe animal behavior from a new perspective. Check out the setup in action after the break, or read on through to the source link below for a detailed description of how mankind and some of nature's smaller creatures can get along in a virtual space.
Suitable Technologies introduces Beam, the remote presence device (hands-on)
Telepresence is a booming business these days, with high speed wireless networks enabling plenty of folks to enjoy the pleasures of working (or attending class) from the comfort of home. While some such devices leverage the power of tablets or smartphones, the visual and audio quality such systems deliver often isn't up to corporate standards. Enter Suitable Technologies and its Beam remote presence device (RPD). As a spinoff of famed 'bot builder Willow Garage, the folks at Suitable figured they could provide a high-fidelity telepresence experience by building an RPD from scratch, and that's precisely what they've done with Beam. Its brain is a 1.3Ghz Intel Core i3 CPU and it moves around courtesy of dual brushless electric motors driven by an integrated car battery. That battery fills up in right around six hours using the Beam Dock, and the LED lamps underneath the screen shine whenever Beam is being used. Users, or "pilots" see where they're going via two Logitech HD webcams sporting custom lenses that grant near 180-degree views and zoom capability -- one's front-facing, and one points down for easy navigation in tight spaces. Connectivity comes courtesy of four WiFi antennas (two 2.4 GHz and two 5GHz) to ensure a solid connection at all times, while the seven microphones provide top-notch voice quality and noise cancellation. Oh, and there's a 17-inch monitor and a speaker on board to faithfully replicate what pilots look and sound like. We got a chance to meet the Beam's makers and take the RPD for a spin, so join us after the break to see a video of the thing in action and learn more about Beam's development.
Double telepresence bot spotted in the wild, we go eyes-on (video)
Double Robotics' telepresence bot showed up on our radar a few weeks back, and today we got to chat with its creators and see the thing in person. As a quick refresher, Double is a two-wheeled self balancing bot that turns your iPad into a telepresence screen. Company co-founder Marc DeVidts shared a few more details about his bot, letting us know that it's powered by a 28.8V, 2.9Ah lithium ion cell. And, it turns out the Double's controls aren't app-dependant -- it can be operated by either an iPad running the company's app or by web browser. For now, it's iPad-only, but because Double communicates with Apple slates via Bluetooth, the possibility for Android compatibility does exist, even though the company currently has no plans to make it happen. While you iPad owners wait for the one you undoubtedly just ordered to arrive, check out our video of Double's deliberate moves after the break.%Gallery-165183%
Double Robotics gives your iPad wheels, brings telepresence to the masses (video)
Walking iPads aside, usable telepresence remains one of geekdom's purest goals. Being able to attend meetings, without the minor irritation of actually being there, has been a motivator for professionals and hobbyists alike. Double Robotics, on the other hand, feel that they've spotted an opportunity. By leveraging the computing power of the iPad, coupled with some smart design, it has created the "Double," a self-balancing motorized iPad stand. You'll need a pair of Apple slates to get going, one to peer into and use as a controller (via an app), another to project your face, and act as the seeing eye (via the front-facing camera). Best of all, this is much more affordable than many existing options, rolling in at $1,999 if you pre-order ($2,499 otherwise), shipping in December -- iPads not included. Facetime on wheels? Why didn't we think of that? Roll past the break for the video.
Double, the iPad telepresence robot rolls around the office when you can't
Get ready to see iPads zipping around your office. As a remote worker I'm fascinated by telepresence robots, or a remote robotic avatar which lives at an office and roams the halls under your control, typically interacting through a 2-way video chat tool. Naturally, Double Robotics took the iPad's advantages and built what looks like a tiny Segway for the iPad to move about on, calling it the Double. The Double mounts an iPad up top for communicating, has an adjustable height, and uses a second iPad for controls. The video below shows the robot in action. The iPad is almost perfectly suited to this task, being a lightweight but head-sized video communicator when needed. It's brilliant, minimal and will cost you US$2,499 by December. You can pre-order for $1,999 but the iPads aren't included. The Double is quite reasonably priced for such a thing, as telepresence robots tend to be a specialized industry with units selling for $10,000 or more. Double Robotics may have a hit on its hands if the Double can stand up to the abuse of roaming around an office or industrial setting. [via Core77]
Insert Coin: Botiful telepresence robot for Android (video)
In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with "Insert Coin" as the subject line. Remote-controlled cameras are nothing new -- heck, some even ride atop robotic vacuums -- but this Android smartphone-powered device delivers quite a bit of versatility in a petite package with a reasonable price tag to boot. Botiful, a "social telepresence robot," serves as a roving platform for your Android smartphone. You can move the handset (and its front-facing camera) up and down as it speeds along any flat surface, responding to commands from someone on the other end of a Skype video chat. Once you connect the device to your Android phone through Bluetooth or USB, you can control its direction from a pop-up window within Skype, letting you position Botiful however you see fit. If your Android phone doesn't have a front-facing camera, you can flip it around to use the rear shooter -- of course, you won't be able to see the display in this configuration, so it won't be ideal for two-way chats. Naturally, this makes the duo a natural choice for surveillance and baby monitoring, but it can also be used to provide a more immersive experience during conference calls or for sending back video from locations that aren't easily accessible, such as the undercarriage of a car. Designed in a garage in California (no, really), Botiful is already functional, with working software as well. The current configuration requires Skype for control, though an SDK will allow developers to create other control apps for the device -- and who knows, the seemingly capable inventor could release another tool of her own before it's set to hit production later this year. With much of the design already completed, the project sponsor is turning to Kickstarter to raise the funds necessary to launch Botiful to production -- the device could ship as soon as November if it reaches a $90,000 goal before August 22nd. Available in white, blue or red, the remote-controlled rig is currently only compatible with Android, though iOS support may come if funding exceeds a $100k threshold. There's still more than three weeks to go to make your pledge, with a limited number of pre-order slots available for $199 (retail pricing is expected to come in at $299). Hit up the source link below to show your support.
