TiLR: for all your robotic telepresence needs
- September 28th, 2008
- 17 Comments
Teleconferencing can be an impersonal affair — all your subordinates just staring at a laptop screen, and on the screen is a window, and in the window is a smaller screen, and in that smaller screen is your face. So lifelike! You could also do the evil overlord thing where you’re projected all big on the wall (asking for one million dollars). But the approach RoboDynamics wants to popularize is what they call “telepresence,” and it necessitates inhabiting a robotic body in the room. Now, let’s be honest: the notion is a little more grand than the execution. TiLR looks like a riveter robot with a screen for a head, but the idea is sound; you can scoot around, tilt and pan its camera, and talk face to face with people in the remote environment.
Although I can’t see a boss cruising down the office halls “in” this thing, waving virtually to employees and stopping into cubicles to check in, I can see something close. It would be both entertaining and helpful for, say, a CEO who is in the hospital (for exhaustion, you understand) to participate in a factory tour or what have you, mingling with his officers and walking down the halls with them. It’s a nice vision, let’s hope it gets some traction.
Update: Doubters, eh? How do you like these apples?
Oluwasogo Ojo (Who am I?)
2 months ago
well…..its a good move but I think its not really wots needed at the moment. for u to do something like this, there should be more deliverables than just round tours which make it real and more ideal for prospective buyers.
punkypaige (Who am I?)
2 months ago
This is another good idea but i hope it will not make anyone to be lazy, right?
Gregg (Who am I?)
2 months ago
They had something exactly like this on an episode of ER like a decade ago. This one looks better though.
Steven (Who am I?)
2 months ago
I think I had to lol if I see someone taking this serious.
FooDoo (Who am I?)
2 months ago
You really fell for this? That site is meant to be a spoof. Seriously, look a the white board sketches and the language they use to describe their team in the about us section. I can’t believe you guys would allow yourselves to be suckered in by presenting this as a real thing. Get some journalistic chops and perhaps try to speak with someone from the “company” before you write about it?
Fred Nikgohar (Who am I?)
2 months ago
Hi FooDoo,
My name is Fred Nikgohar and I run RoboDynamics. Someone brought your post to my attention and I just wanted to chime in and offer you (or anyone else) a demo from your desk wherever you may be. All you need is a PC, Webcam, and Broadband. Go to this link (http://robodynamics.com/beta_support.asp#tcc) and download our software and get in contact with me.
Best,
/Fred
Bob (Who am I?)
2 months ago
Forget the CEOs — this app/hardware needs to focus on a different biz model: Afterhours remotely controlled security guards. (Can we mount a tazer?)