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Telepresence
robots are much like “Skype-on-wheels.”, summarizes Dr. Carman Neustaedter, Professor in the School of Interactive Arts & Technology (SIAT) at Simon Fraser University (SFU). Expert in HCI and connecting over distance http://carmster.com
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| Attending a conference remotely through a telepresence robot. |
They consist of a display that
runs a video conferencing system which is attached to a type of robotic
body. This body can be driven around remotely from any location,
provided there is an Internet connection. A variety of telepresence
robots have been created, including Beams from Suitable Technologies and Doubles from Double Robotics.
You may have even seen them on television shows like Modern Family or
the Big Bang Theory. Telepresence robots have been studied and used in
many different fields and environments, including education, health
care, tech companies, etc. You can watch two videos of telepresence
robots in action here and here to get a better understanding of how they are used and what they look like.
Telepresence
robots are great in that telecommuters who are working from home can
use them to connect to an office environment, drive to meeting rooms,
and talk with colleagues. The value that is added beyond just a normal video conferencing system is mobility. The
act of moving between locations creates opportunities to bump into
others and engage in casual conversations. These have been shown to
foster workplace camaraderie and collaborations. Using a telepresence
robot in meetings means that the remote person takes up space because they have a body. This
is important because it helps remind people who are physically in the
room that the remote person is also present and a part of the meeting.
The remote person can easily turn their robot different directions to
face people who are present in the meeting room...
We found that telepresence robots worked best in social settings with a small number of people. This
included workshops with 10–30 people, as well as social interactions in
hallways and foyers. For example, at the conferences we studied, each
had several breaks during the day where attendees would come and get
coffee and snacks. The telepresence robots were especially valued during
these times by remote attendees because they could easily move around,
mingle, and talk with people. They used these interactions to meet new
people and reconnect with colleagues. Of course, they couldn’t indulge
in the coffee, tea, or snacks remotely.
Source: Medium
