Remote presence
Remote presence is a set of technologies that enable a person to have a human-like presence in another, possibly distant location through the use of a remote presence device. Remote presence differs from telepresence in that the device is mobile, human size, and can be driven by the remote operator, and from telerobotics in that the device has few of the characteristics typically ascribed to a robot, such as autonomy, artifical intelligence, or manipulators.
Description
Remote presence consists of two participating parties:
- The Pilot controls the remote presence device, typically through a computer and keyboard, mouse, joystick, or other haptic interface
- The Locals are people in the same location as the device, interacting with the pilot through the device
The pilot and locals are typically in two different locations, separated by a long distance, connected by a network link with sufficient bandwidth to transport their audio, video, and data communication.
The remote presence device, and supporting software, aim to give the pilot as many human-like qualities as possible. These include:
- Presence: The pilot looks approximately the size and shape of a human, in the device
- Hearing: The pilot can hear everything a person can hear, in the device's location
- Speaking: The locals can hear the pilot as well as a person
- Awareness: The pilot can see their environment as well as a person
- Freedom: The pilot can move and act anywhere in the remote location
- Independence: The pilot doesn't require any assistance from locals
History
In the late 1990s, motivated in part by falling computing costs and growth of wireless networking, researchers and startup companies began exploring ways to make video-based communication more mobile. Eric Paulos and John Canny at the University of California prototyped several systems, including a floating one using blimps, and Norm Jouppi's group at Hewlett-Packard Labs designed an immersive experience for the remote operator.
In recent years, several startup companies have emerged with remote presence products, such as InTouch Health, Double Robotics, Suitable Technologies, Anybots, VGo Communications, MantaroBot, Gostai, and Giraff, with products ranging in price from a few thousand dollars to nearly $100,000.
Entertainment
Versions of remote presence appear in many movies and television programs, especially science fiction. The 1993 film Demolition Man depicts people attending a meeting in devices strikingly similar to those being developed today. More recently, movies such as Surrogates and Avatar show futuristic depictions of remote presence technology. In a 2009 episode of The Big Bang Theory, Sheldon devises a remote presence device in an effort to avoid the dangers of the world. The device he uses is actually a prototype developed by robotics research lab Willow Garage.