Telepresence robots: next best thing to being there?
Sergey Brin, cofounder of Google, recently attended a recent program at Singularity University, an entity seeking to advance awareness of the increasing intelligence of machines converging with increasing technological approaches to biology.
That's really not news.
What is news is the fact that Brin wasn't physically at the conference. Instead, he joined the proceedings as a telepresence robot, with is face appearing in a screen perched on top of the robot. As reported in the New York Times, Brin was able to remotely maneuver the "Brin Bot" from his office, floating from group to group and conversing.
And the costs for telepresence robots are dropping. For instance, Fast Company's Kit Eaton reports on VGO, a "telepresence robot" from Vgo Communications Inc. which comes in at a reasonable price -- $5,000, along with a $1,200 annual maintenance contract.
Eaton explains the purpose of the robot:
"The idea of the robot is that he can take your physical place in meetings, or even just roaming the corridors of your office, acting as a virtual presence (yes, really--an avatar) while you operate him and communicate via his screen and loudspeaker as if you were actually present. A more perfect excuse for sitting on your home's couch remote-working while supping a cuppa joe in your underwear has not yet been invented."
In an era where telecommuting is the norm for many, she adds, telepresence bot offer "a neat half-way house" for professionals that want to be part of the action.
Of course, the business case still needs to be made for having employees interacting with everyone and milling about the office as bots -- versus either simply showing up themselves or communicating online. Vgo calls this "active presence," noting that professionals can gain access to "distant environments, not just conference rooms and offices... VGO’s unique physical presence encourages and increases personal interaction. Trials have demonstrated that a person using VGO commands more attention than even being there in person."
UPDATES: SmartPlanet's Larry Dignan reports on the result of a study from AT&T and the Carbon Disclosure Project that estimates that telepresence (in all forms, not just bots) can cut 5.5 metric tons of CO2 emissions through 2020 if U.S. and U.K. companies substitute travel for telepresence.
Also, Deborah Gage reports on a study that shows that the robotics sector is growing, and is a great area of opportunity -- a majority of robotics companies expect to hire people for both technical and non-technical positions within the next couple of years.
(Photo: Vgo Communications)
This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com