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This story is from the category Total Immersion
Date posted: 21/08/2011 Building on the trend toward remote work, two companies started shipping wheeled telepresence robots to customers this year, and other versions are launching soon. While prices are steep and sales tepid, some early adopters find that the robots offer advantages over technologies such as videoconferencing. Telepresence robots are wheeled machines steered by a person sitting at a remote computer; the bots take the person's place around the conference table or, say, on a facility inspection. They are equipped with cameras, microphones, screens, and speakers so the human controller can interact with real people. Customers find them valuable, says Ned Semonite, VP for product management at VGo Communications, the New Hampshire-based company that sells the four-foot-tall robot I tried. Some engineers and designers enjoy being able to visit a distant lab or inspect a prototype without leaving the office, he says: "It means they can be there more often. You get the immediacy of walking in the door, and that valuable ad hoc contact." More than 200 of the robots are in use so far, he says, and customers include companies such as Hewlett-Packard and Cisco. The technology provides advantages over videoconferencing, Semonite adds, because "the person who is remote can choose what they want to see and go places beyond the meeting room." See the full Story via external site: www.technologyreview.com Most recent stories in this category (Total Immersion): 28/02/2013: Workstation design improvements for drone operators may reduce costs & mishaps, researchers suggest |
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