What is a Telepresence Robot and what can they do?

People from all types of environments are putting telepresence robots into action.  From school districts to medical offices to business warehouses and more, telepresence robots and their benefits are growing in popularity as their potential continues to be explored, developed, and utilized.

A telepresence robot is a computer driven robot which typically includes a video-camera and screen as part of the robot so that people interacting with the robot can view its operator and the operator can simultaneously view what the robot is “looking” at.  “Intriguing,” you may be thinking, “but of what significance is this to me?  What good can it do me or my business?”  One answer is that a telepresence robot can be used to provide yourself a “far reaching” pair of mobile “eyes,” enabling you to view home or business locations when you are not at that particular location through the use of operating a robot via an internet connection.  For example, if you had a part in arranging a remote office in London while you were at your home office in Seattle, and you needed to make sure everything was in order and just as you wanted it to be, a telepresence robot would allow you to see the arrangement of that office in London with the added convenience of being able to control exactly what you wished to view merely by the press of a button or two from your laptop in Seattle.  To reiterate, the user has complete control while at his or her office in Seattle to move the robot around the office in London and the ability to control the camera installed on the robot to view anything around the robot.

Telepresence robots go beyond a simple video conference call because the operator can control exactly what he sees: no more need for multiple people to leave their seats and rotate so they can be seen by the video screen.  The user simply turns the robots “eyes” to see what or whom they wish to see whenever they like.  This control is further enhanced by the ability to drive the robots around rooms and hallways, offering a more complete virtual presence.  Furthermore, some robots are able to utilize additional features such as a laser pointer which can help increase the effectiveness of communication.

In addition to offices and warehouses, the implementation of telepresence robots has already been seen in hospitals, schools, and private homes.  One example of this implementation of telepresence robots can be found in the following link.  This link includes the story of an elementary school student, named Aidan, who uses a telepresence robot to participate (virtually) in activities at school:  http://www.vgocom.com/iowa-boy-attends-class-vgo-robot.  The ability for Aidan to virtually interact with his classmates at school is surely one of the numerous positives (and possibilities) provided by the introduction of telepresence robotics technology.  Watching the growth of telepresence robots over the coming months and years may be a very interesting experience, indeed.