Quick Guide
Robotic Telepresence is a subset of telepresence whereby a robot acts as a surrogate for a remote user. The robots NASA sends to the Martian surface are examples of Robotic Telepresence.
Benefits of Robotic Telepresence
Break through Blindfold Effect - defined as the difference between talking on the phone and meeting face-to-face
Break through Space & Time Barriers - defined as the ability to asynchronously initiate conversations
Introduction
Robotic Telepresence is a subset of telepresence whereby a robot acts as a surrogate for a remote user.
There are a number of telepresence technologies, most notably video telepresence (such as those offered by Cisco, Polycom, LifeSize, amongst others) where bi-directional HD quality video and spatial audio creates the sensation of a face-to-face meeting.
Robotic Telepresence in turn is when a mobile robot gives the remote user the ability to communicate and interact as though he/she was physically present. There are many examples of this, including NASA robots Spirit and Opportunity which are roaming the surface of Mars on behalf of researchers here on the planet earth, giving researchers the ability to see and manipulate on the Martian surface. There are also enterprise-grade Robotic Telepresence such as the TiLR robot by RoboDynamics and consumer-grade robots such as Rovio by WowWee.
Spirit and Opportunity, NASA
Spirit and Opportunity have been exploring the surface of Mars on our behalf for over five years now. Despite being designed for 90 day missions, these robots have far exceeded their original intended use and are still operational. Operators on earth command Spirit and Opportunity's cameras and manipulators - and use the data gathered to conduct various studies of the Martian surface.
TiLR, RoboDynamics Corp.
TiLR (Telepresence internet-enabled Low-cost Robot) is world's first enterprise-grade robotic telepresence platform. Developed by RoboDynamics this four feet tall robot provides bi-directional video conferencing as well as a mobile platform that enables the remote user to intuitively and effectively communicate with team members. The result is significant increases in efficiency and quality of not just the remote user, but the entire team.
