TERESA project. Photo credit: Claire Cocano

TERESA is a 3-year research project funded by the European Union and carried out by six institutions from four European countries. Its goal is to develop a new socially intelligent semi-autonomous telepresence system.

A telepresence system consists of an internet-connected mobile robot equipped with a video screen, speakers, and microphones.  A remotely located pilot sitting at a computer can control the robot and use it to interact with people at the robot’s location.

Telepresence systems offer a number of advantages over traditional teleconferencing solutions such as Skype. The robot acts as an avatar for the pilot, allowing the pilot to appear much more present to people around the robot. In addition, because a telepresence robot is mobile, it enables spontaneous interaction, such as mingling at a cocktail party, that would not be possible with Skype.

TERESA project. Photo credit: Claire Cocano

However, existing telepresence systems suffer from a key limitation. They require the pilot to manually execute many behaviours that would happen automatically and effortlessly if the pilot was physically present.  These include navigating through groups of people in a socially appropriate way, maintaining a socially appropriate distance and orientation to others, and maintaining socially appropriate eye contact.

The need to manually execute these low-level behaviours at the same time as selecting high-level behaviours, such as whom to talk to and what to say, can afflict the pilot with cognitive overload, which in turns leads to poor quality social interaction.

In the TERESA project, we have created a new semi-autonomous telepresence system that automates low-level decision making, thereby freeing the pilot to focus on the social interaction itself. TERESA can autonomously navigate through groups of people in a socially intelligent way and approach a specific person selected by the pilot. During conversation, TERESA can also maintain a socially appropriate distance from those around the robot and set the height, orientation, and tilt of its video screen so as to facilitate that conversation.

TERESA is not just intelligent but socially intelligent, thanks to advances in multi-modal perception, machine learning, and robotics developed in the project by an interdisciplinary team of computer scientists, engineers, sociologists, and experts in human-robot interaction.

Working with an elderly day centre in France, we have repeatedly validated TERESA with dozens of elderly subjects. Our results show that semi-autonomous telepresence systems can play a key role in improving the quality of remote interaction. Although TERESA is just a proof of concept, it illustrates the potential of social intelligence to transform telepresence systems and other robots as well.

If you enjoyed this article, you may want to read more about telepresence robotics:

• Telepresence robots help chronically ill kids maintain social, academic ties at school
• Telepresence has come a long way, where do we go from here?
• Personalizing telepresence in service robots
• ORIGIBOT: An affordable telepresence robotic test platform with arm and gripper
• Telepresence, or tele-existence? 4 devices seeking to break down barriers to remote presence

See all the latest robotics news on Robohub, or sign up for our weekly newsletter.

“Every year, large numbers of K-12 students are not able to go to school due to illness, which has negative academic, social and medical consequences,” says UCI doctoral student Veronica Newhart, lead author of a study on the benefits of telepresence robots, such as the one shown. Credit: Steve Zylius / UCI

Chronically ill, homebound children who use robotic surrogates to “attend” school feel more socially connected with their peers and more involved academically, according to a first-of-its-kind study by University of California, Irvine education researchers.

“Every year, large numbers of K-12 students are not able to go to school due to illness, which has negative academic, social and medical consequences,” said lead author Veronica Newhart, a Ph.D. student in UCI’s School of Education. “They face falling behind in their studies, feeling isolated from their friends and having their recovery impeded by depression. Tutors can make occasional home visits, but until recently, there hasn’t been a way to provide these homebound students with inclusive academic and social experiences.”

Credit: Steve Zylius / UCI

Telepresence robots could do just that. The Internet-enabled, two-way video streaming automatons have wheels for feet and a screen showing the user’s face at the top of a vertical “body.” From home, a student controlling the device with a laptop can see and hear everything in the classroom, talk with friends and the teacher, “raise his or her hand” via flashing lights to ask or answer questions, move around and even take field trips.

However, the robots have gone straight from production to consumer, the researchers noted, and there is great need for objective, formal studies in order for schools, hospitals and communities to responsibly engage in this innovative educational practice.

The exploratory case study – co-authored by Mark Warschauer, UCI professor of education and informatics – involved five homebound children, five parents, 10 teachers, 35 classmates and six school/district administrators. The students – four males and one female – ranged in age from 6 to 16, and their chronic illnesses included an immunodeficiency disorder, cancer and heart failure.

Getting to see their friends and staying socially connected was what they said they liked best about using the robots. The school day felt more normal, they reported, because they were able to participate in discussions, interact with peers and undergo new experiences with their classmates.

“Further research is required to determine the impact of robot utilization on students’ health and well-being, as well as the most effective ways to implement this technology in various settings,” said Newhart, who presented the findings at the 23rd International Conference on Learning, held in July at the University of British Columbia.

“Collaboration among education, technology and healthcare teams is key to the success of virtual inclusion in the classroom for improved learning, social and health outcomes for vulnerable children.”

This fall, telepresence robots will become available on the UCI campus – a gift from the class of 2016. “This is a solution for any student who’s prevented from completing a course or degree program because of a long-term injury or illness,” said Newhart, who will soon launch additional studies in school districts across the country.

Source: Padbot

UW-Madison Science Narratives and partners have joined together to create a 5-month video and audio adventure, exploring the work of Dr Bilge Mutlu and colleagues as they craft robots from a human perspective. It’s not just science fiction.

Watch Episode 5

In this next episode, UW-Madison roboticists discuss how quickly robotics research is evolving. How can robots enhance our human experience in ways that make it better?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNuds8YKF8E

Each month, Science Narratives posts videos or podcasts to their website. This project is a collaboration of the Division of Continuing Studies, DoIT Academic Technology and Storybridge.tv.

If you liked this article, you may also be interested in:

• Robotics narratives: Look alive
• Robotics narratives: Birth of the Bots
• Robotics narratives: Your move, robot
• Robotics narratives: If I only had a brain

See all the latest robotics news on Robohub, or sign up for our weekly newsletter.

A modular telepresence system. Source: wikipedia

In our final post for this series, we’ll talk about the future of telepresence.  For most robots telepresence is just the beginning, a means to an end. Many of the robots in this series are meant for office, medical, or home. But it should not be forgotten this same technology can easily be implemented for dull, dirty, and dangerous work, typical of robots. Allowing human operators to teach robots through telepresence creates a synergy along with higher levels of autonomy.

New robots help navigate the world

Take Henry Evans with Robots for Humanity. In 2002, an unfortunate brain stem stroke left Henry a quadraplegic. Telepresence provided the abilities to help him live his life. Whether using a Beam for a TED talk (see below), a Parrot drone to fly around his garden at home, or a PR2 to fold laundry, Henry has been able to take back control of his life through robotics with a condition that would have otherwise left him bedridden.

Consider your audience, and whether that’s intended

Knowing the operator of the robot is one thing. When Willow Garage launched the Heaphy Project back in 2012, they failed to consider who was on the other side operating the robot handling dish washing duties, which turned out to be rather creepy for the crew. While the concept of using a human anywhere in the world to control a PR2 was technologically advanced, there was the human element (even ones used to working with robots), that needed to be considered. The PR2 robot outsourced their dish washing duties to the world via Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. And though it had promise, it only lasted a month.

Human-like telecommunication

If anonymously operated robots are unnerving, maybe Nayang Technical University’s EDGAR is more comforting. Operators can project their face onto EDGAR’s, instead of a flat monitor, mimicking the gestures of the operator. It is fully controlled by a Microsoft Kinect. The university also developed ‘Nadine’ a social robot that operates like Siri or Cortana. Implementing the technology of EDGAR and Nadine would allow you to nearly duplicate yourself, at least from the waist up.

Better vision display

One obstacle in telepresence systems is lack of peripheral vision. But companies are working to solve this issue. Other technologies being developed include DORA, created by a team of students at the University of Pennsylvania.  By using the Oculus Rift all the head movements of the operator are mimicked by DORA. DORA solves the lack of peripheral vision issue by giving users the ability to look around, giving them a better sense of the environment. It’s the difference between watching something on TV versus actually being there. While this may not necessarily be important at weekly staff meetings, that increased visual awareness in an emergency response situation is vital.

Rise of the personal assistant

Designing Jibo.

And finally there is the rise of the personal assistant. While there are home service robots like Buddy, don’t disregard products like Jibo or Amazon’s Alexa.  While Jibo and Alexa are stationary right now, my hunch is that they won’t be for long.  I would also be on the lookout for an entrant from Google, Apple, or Microsoft to make their way into this scene, by means other than a smartphone.

While we are still a long way from seeing ‘Rosie’ enter our homes as a fully capable service robot, telepresence will lead the way for most.  The technology has come a long way since Pebbles was first introduced, but we’re about to see an even bigger change in the coming years.

Courtesy of Fellow Robots, Inc.

In our previous post we looked at socially engaging robots and how they are helping to break down barriers to remote presence. Another area on the fringe of telepresence is service robots. These robots operate autonomously, but have the ability to be controlled in telepresence mode when the need arises. The symbiosis between robot and machine allows these robots to take care of easier things, while allowing humans to take over when it needs help. As autonomy improves, the bar moves higher and higher.

In October 2014, Suitable Technologies opened the first retail store staffed only by Beam telepresence robots. Two months later, Orchard Hardware in mid-town San Jose began using the semi-autonomous OSHBot by Fellow Robotics. OSHBot has image and voice recognition enabling it to guide customers up and down aisles to the items they are looking for — most of the time. Fellow Robotics, still in the pilot phase for the project, is improving certain processes like natural language recognition. Phrases like, ‘lawn mower’, ‘lawnmower’ or ‘lawn-mower’ can be a problem. However if an issue does arise, an associate from another store can login to help with more technical questions. No different than doctors using telepresence robots in rural hospitals when an expert isn’t physically available.

Silicon Valley isn’t the only place where you can find examples of service robots in retail.  REEM, by Pal Robotics, recently spent the summer on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.  When at the mall she (yes, she) helped shoppers and tourists find their way, along with taking lots of photos. The team at Pal Robotics are also working on a bipedal unit called REEM-C, a robot that could potentially rival Honda’s ASIMO. REEM has two advantages: its use of ROS and availability to researchers. As of now, ASIMO uses proprietary software and he’s not available for sale.

Service robots are also entering homes as well. Korea’s Future Robot first unveiled FURo-i at CES in 2015, a home assistant robot, designed to maintain your home while away and chat with friends and family when you are there. Robot Base, out of NYC, also debuted ‘Personal Robot’ at CES in 2015. Think of Personal Robot like Siri on wheels, which can play your favorite music and remind you of upcoming appointments, ‘Personal Robot’ comes with advanced connectivity and autonomous algorithms to automate your home, like turning off lights and turning down the thermostat when you aren’t there. Recent media attention has gone to Buddy, by Blue Frog Robotics, due to its highly successful Indiegogo campaign (perhaps you saw it on RoboHub). Buddy is certainly the cutest robot of them all. Buddy can integrate with IBM’s Watson cloud services improving natural language and object recognition, along with the typical personal and home assistant functionality you would expect.

We’re now reaching the end of our telepresence series. In the final part, we’ll talk about the future of telepresence and where it could be headed.

Telenoid

This telepresence series wouldn’t be complete without covering the fringe territory of the unique and unusual. These robots push the boundaries of telepresence to push social engagement and cross into tele-existence. While I applaud the creativity of these researchers, I think there are some that shouldn’t make it outside the research lab, at least not yet!

My first example, the Telenoid, was designed to transfer the presence of the human operator. Developed as a partnership between Osaka University and Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International this android robot, the Telenoid is  an advanced video conferencing tool that focuses on tactile involvement with the participant to enhance the emotional connection. With its pale white skin and stubby arms,  it is meant to have neither a specific sex or age, allowing participants to imagine the face of the operator onto the face of the robot. The Telenoid has no mobility and is meant to be held, like a small child. The Telenoid reminds me more of Paro, a pet therapy robot used in Japanese hospitals, than of a telepresence robot.

Then there is OriHime, the robot avatar. There are several versions ranging from a head and base to a small humanoid. All the models are intended to be used as a surrogate for the operator, particularly for those that are sick. OriHime was created by Kentaro Yoshifuji as a means to fight loneliness. Rather than appearing on a monitor, the unit allows a patient to comfortably participate without having to show themselves. Similar to the Telenoid, the generic face requires some imagination from the participants. Pre-programmed movements. like nodding yes or no, allow OriHime to come to life and create a more emotional connection.

OriHime

I have yet to understand the MH-2 shoulder robot. When it was presented at ICRA in 2012 it was described as “a remotely operated avatar.” There are obvious and significant technical hurdles to  be overcome if this were to enter the market as a product.  Realistically there are larger issues like the user interface which requires you to constantly look over your shoulder to see what a friend may be pointing out.  This seems cumbersome in comparison to something like Google Glass. With Glass, you can see and hear your friends without neck strain, and you won’t get strange looks when people wonder about the robot perched upon your shoulder.

Not all unusual telepresence robots come out of Japan. Me-Bot hails from the Personal Robotics Group at the MIT Media Lab. Using a smartphone for your face, the motorized base has small arms and a neck, allowing operators to become more physically expressive. This is fantastic for those of us who talk with our hands. The research paper that was written on the MeBot showed much better response in both engagement and cooperation over a traditional means of videoconferencing.

The primary aim of all of these telepresence robots is to become more socially engaging and promote non-verbal communication. While many of us are used to the telephone, meeting face to face is a much more enriching experience, particularly when it comes to building relationships. Telepresence lowers this barrier with visual communication, but these robots aim to lower it even further. As more of your senses become involved, your level of engagement increases. The ultimate goal is tele-existance, where you are fully immersed and participating remotely.

Up next: service robots. If you haven’t run into them yet, you soon will.

Romo is an interactive assistant that you can play games with. While it was listed as one of the Best in Toy Fair at the 2013 show, the company Romotive seems to have discontinued the Romo and instead pivoted to a new endeavor called Stork. Botiful is another company that is no longer producing — I particularly enjoyed their Kickstarter video, which featured a re-enactment of a lightsaber fight.

Small companies are not the only ones pivoting away from telepresence toys: RoboMe from WowWee was a Segway-like robot based on the iPhone, but other than the support page, RoboMe is no longer listed on the WowWee website.

One of the few telepresence toys still available is the Wheelphone.  This one features a small base that can fit most smartphones, and it is Lego-compatible, allowing you to create extensions. It also comes with a powerful ROS-enabled Android app that lets use use sensor data to navigate autonomously.

Synergy SWAN

The Synergy SWAN is the largest in this category, and has a unique adjustable height that lets it grow from one to nearly three feet. At nearly 30lbs, it’s also the heaviest, so I recommend using it only on the floor. If you find the SWAN too large, Syngergy also has a stationary version called Mime that pivots, rotates, and fits comfortably on a table.

New to the scene is the RambleBot, a smallish Android-based rover that is rugged enough to go outside and explore — just be sure to weatherproof you smartphone! It has a small arm to grasp objects, but it looks like its developers are still working out how it can recharge itself from a standard wall AC socket. With Arduino operating as the RambleBot’s microcontroller, it is limited to telepresence for now.

Ramblebot

The toy robot category is a tough one, and with products like Cubelets, Dash and Dot, or even Lego Mindstorms, the trend seems to be pushing telepresence technology out in favor of greater interaction with the toy itself. Rather than simply controlling a smartphone, the current generation of robotic toys seems focused on the ability to program behaviors and to mechanically change the robots.

Next up in this series, we delve into the unique and unusual, pushing the boundaries of what can or should be considered telepresence. Check out some of the previous articles on the telepresence market:

• Shopping via telepresence makes for good PR; how long before it’s mainstream?
• The state of telepresence: Business enterprise class
• Tabletop telepresence finding its niche

*Note – I originally referred to the WheelBot in an earlier article, but meant the Wheelphone. This has now been corrected.

Tabletop telepresence devices began to pop up on the market about two years ago. Though its a small slice of the telepresence market, it’s differentiated enough from other categories to be mentioned in a separate post. Many telepresence users simply want the ability to pan and tilt around a room. While this solution doesn’t work well for places like museums, it’s perfect for classrooms, meetings, or get togethers where you don’t need much mobility.

The scene pictured above is taken from a hybrid course taught at Michigan State, where both online and local students can participate in a traditional classroom setting. By comparison, classes that are taught completely online are limited to group video chat. The hybrid class concept was tested with both tabletop telepresence, like the Kubi, as well as with full size devices like the Double. With the telepresence robots, students were no longer viewing the class from a wall mounted monitor, and they reported feeling more engaged in the class and participated more actively than previously. The research is ongoing but the tabletops seem to have received a better initial response. You can learn more about Michigan State’s research on integrating telepresence into classrooms in the following video:

So far there are three entrants in this category: Kubi by Revolve Robotics,  Pivot by WowWee, and the TableTop TeleMe from MantaRobot. All work with iOS and Android, while Kubi seems to be the only one that works with Windows.

Kubi is finding niches in ambulances for telemedicine, where mobility is restricted and a smaller footprint has an advantage. Another advantage of these tabletop models is power: since you’re not mobile, you can be plugged in continuously and not worry about needing downtime for recharging.

As with the full size tablet robots, you are still limited to the embedded camera on the tablet of your choosing. This is one area where I’d like to see some development to obtain more peripheral vision.

With products like Jibo and Amazon’s Echo showing up in our homes, I anticipate tabletop devices will become more prevalent. A stationary hands-free device that can pivot while you move around saves you from having to robot-proof your home; fixing door thresholds and moving stray cords can be a cumbersome chore at best, or a complete floor plan change of your home at worst.

Next up are telepresence toys, where we will scale down to fun size using a smart phone.

Double makes an entrance on hit TV series Modern Family.

Personal telepresence robots have exploded onto the market thanks to the help of tablets, smartphones, and crowdfunding sites. Geared toward the economics of personal use, these robots typically cost less than $3000 (tablet typically not included) and don’t require a monthly subscription. While the telemedicine category of telepresence devices has been plagued by lawsuits, the only drama in this category is the love (or hate) of your smart device.

Padbot

Working with an iPad or iPhone (iOS), you have three choices: the Double, the TeleMe or the Padbot. The Double, is only available with iOS and has received the most exposure, appearing in both the Modern Family and Community television series. The Padbot, which launched via Indiegogo, was designed and developed by InBot out of China. While it initially went for as low as $299 during the launch campaign, it can now be had for $799 in the US. The TeleMe and TeleMe2 from MantaRobot, have been out for a while and work with iOS and Android. They are also the only ones I’ve seen that really work with Windows-based devices like the Surface Pro.

Twinbot

Like the Double, but for Android, the TwinBot has a strikingly similar appearance. Though its Indiegogo campaign failed, Robotshop.com picked it up for sale. While it doesn’t have a telescoping neck, it does have the ability to tilt the tablet up and down. The “Telepresence RobotRig” by Endurance is based out of Russia, and while they are a relative newcomer to the scene, they seem pretty ambitious with their plans to introduce an autonomous mode.

The Origibot is currently the only telepresence robot with an arm and manipulator on the market. This was another Indiegogo campaign success (you might remember having seen the campaign on Robohub). The first backers will soon be getting their robots, so we’ll give it a few months for owners to tinker with the design. The lack of arms is seen as an issue, as it provides a tangible means for interaction.

If you don’t want to bother with purchasing a tablet, there is the Beam+ from Suitable Technologies. A slimmed down version of the Beam Pro, the screen is embedded into the device so you are platform agnostic.

Beam +

Oculus by Xaxxon was actually the first to hit Kickstarter back in late 2011. Using a netbook atop the Oculus base allowed you to roam around. They combined it with RoboRealm to allow for advanced mapping and computer vision. The beauty of using a netbook is that you can now integrate with ROS, creating a true robot according to a purist’s definition.

Up next, we’ll take a look at a niche category — tabletop telepresence — where the lack of mobility can often be an advantage.

Credit: iRobot

Telemedicine is a rapidly growing field and, with the aid of telepresence robots, is quickly gaining traction in hospitals and homes around the world.

In rural hospital settings where a medical specialist is physically unavailable, a robot can be deployed to check in on a patient with a physician from elsewhere. In the home, a nurse can check in with a patient while they recover in a comfortable setting.

This has been a hotly contested market as noted by two lawsuits over patent infringement initiated by InTouch Health against HeadThere (now Giraff AB) in 2007 and VGo in 2011. HeadThere was effectively sued out of the country by inTouch, and relocated to Sweden where it worked with Robotdalen, a robotics incubator. This looks to have been a very beneficial move as for Giraff as they have been able to take advantage of the health care system to introduce their robots into homes through various research projects involving human robot interaction. They have several pilot sites throughout Europe.

The result of InTouch vs. VGo resulted in a less than favorable outcome for InTouch as they had several of their patents re-examined and scopes significantly narrowed. This no doubt encouraged them to seek a partnership with iRobot, a collaboration that resulted in the  introduction of the RP-VITA. It is like few others out there, with special on-board ports to perform diagnostics like ultrasound and stethoscopes to provide critical information in emergency situations.

Even when you’re not in the hospital you still have options. VGo recently ran a pilot project with Dartmouth College, using their robot on the sidelines of football games, bringing in medical experts on demand. This is particularly useful for injuries like concussions, which can require frequent monitoring for days after the incident. VGo has also been highly active within schools, by allowing students to attend classes via telepresence while they recover from injury or illness at home.

A robot that hasn’t received much press is RITA (Reliable Interactive Table Assistant) by RoboValley out of the Netherlands. This is more of a caregiver robot than telepresence, but because of its primary function, I classify it as telepresence. RITA can monitor the behavior of a patient, alerting medical staff of significant changes, and allowing a care taker or physician to check in when alerts arise.

This market segment has human-robot interaction obstacles and legal issues to overcome. For example, in the US physicians must be licensed by individual states, though recent legislation regarding interstate medical licensure seeks to solve this problem by allowing an expedited process to practice across state lines. I have not seen anything with respect to practicing medicine across borders.

As the number of humans age 65+ grows throughout the world, many will look to stay at home, rather than in assisted living or nursing homes, and telepresence robots could be an important ingredient in helping them to achieve that independence. While the telepresence market is relatively small right now (less than $200M USD), it does provide a means of entry for companies that are looking to get into the assisted care market, estimated to be nearly $4B USD.

The Japanese government has allocated about $23M USD to the core technology market in an effort to develop products for its aging population. Toyota, for example, is focusing on home living assistance robots that will allow those with limited mobility the opportunity to live at home. While Japan might have the largest market in the world of 65+ citizens (over  30 million as of 2014), South Korea is estimated to be allocating nearly $6B USD to their own robotics research. The Koreans are taking a different approach, using robots for mundane tasks of delivering food, allowing humans to provide care.

It will be up to our social and legal systems to keep the pace if we are to allow the technology a chance to provide the solution.

Next up, we’ll look at some some of the personal use telepresence robots that have flooded the market in recent years. If you liked this article, you may also be interested in:

• The state of telepresence: Business enterprise class
• Shopping via telepresence makes for good PR; how long before it’s mainstream?
• ORIGIBOT: An affordable telepresence robotic test platform with arm and gripper
• Snowden BEAMs into TED: How robotic telepresence disrupts borders
• Are telepresence robots really robots?

See all the latest robotics news on Robohub, or sign up for our weekly newsletter.

Business class telepresence is where high tech meets high price. Typically starting at $3,000 USD, often with a monthly service fee, these robots are a lot more than just tablets on a stick.

Most come with multiple wifi antennas and cameras along with exceptional video and audio capability. In case you’re worried about them taking a dive off stairs, they come with obstacle avoidance sensors as well. Thankfully most robots still have trouble navigating closed doors and operating elevators, so you don’t typically have to worry about them running away.

Anybot’s QB was one of the first telepresence robots on the market back in 2010, and with its two-wheeled Segway-like base, the QB is highly maneuverable when roaming hallways. A unique advantage of the QB is its height-adjustable neck, which can go from 2.5 ft to 6.0 ft. Though it does need to be manually adjusted, this should keep the driver from misbehaving if a co-worker decides to adjust you down to size. The QA, a predecessor to the QB, was unveiled at CES in 2009, but it was never publicly offered.

Suitable Technologies’ Beam Pro was introduced in September of 2012 and at the time was one of the most advanced telepresence robots available. Based upon a prototype called Texai, the Beam Pro is a high quality robot, with noise cancelling microphones that work great in a noisy conference hall and wide angle camera for navigating so you don’t bump into feet. Its 17 inch display one of the largest displays out there, allowing you to read expressions on a user’s face from a comfortable distance.

Pictured at the top of this post, iRobot’s Ava 500 is (in my opinion) the most advanced telepresence device out there, and is truly a robot, using autonomous navigation (courtesy of an onboard laser range finder and continuous mapping). This allows the user to bring up a map of the area, point to the room they want to go to, and Ava will make its way down the hallway, avoiding humans, and other obstacles with no user intervention. While there is no real need to learn how to drive the Ava, you can still take some manual control if you like.

There are several other telepresence robots I should include in this category that I haven’t previously mentioned, like the VGo (which was acquired by Vecna this summer, and can be seen in various Verizon and GE commercials) or MantaRobot’s TeleMe and Classic 2. The most interesting business model goes to Orbis Robotics’ Carl, which specifically targets the funeral market.

Stay tuned for more — we’ll delve into telepresence in the medical field in the next post.

photo by Pete Souza, Chief Official White House Photographer via Instagram

Telepresence robots have been around since the early 2000s, with a research project called PEBBLES out of Ryerson University in Toronto. When I first started covering this area a little over three years ago, there were only a handful of products available. Since then, the market has exploded, with a slew of robots ranging from the table-top Kubi and the sleek Double to the highly advanced Ava 500. They’ve also been on the move, heading out of the office, attending conferences, and touring museums. In this series I’ll be updating you on telepresence as is stands today, the various market categories, and where the field is headed.

Roughly broken down by pricing levels, we’ll start with enterprise or business class telepresence, where you’ll find high end robots like iRobot’s Ava 500 or Suitable Technologies Beam Pro. These cost several thousand dollars to start and usually have a monthly fee.

Telemedicine robots deserve a category on their own; with requirements for HIPAA and FDA clearance, these aren’t cheap and are not something something the average person or business typically needs.

Then there are the home or personal robots, like the Double, Padbot, and Beam+. These typically have fewer options, but are certainly more affordable. Often, as in the case of the Double, you’ll need a tablet to act as the brain of the device.

Likewise is the toy category, which typically uses a smartphone as a brain. The Romo or Wheelphone are better suited to roam around on a table rather than down a hallway. And if you’re looking for even economy, Kubi and the TableTop TeleMe offer telepresence without mobility. They’ve taken away the wheels, but still offer an interactive experience that allows the user to pan and tilt their view around the room.

Then we have the unique and unusual robots that push the boundaries of telepresence, such as the Telenoid or Orihime, or that cater to niche markets, such as those specifically adapted for use by the physically disabled.

And finally, there are the service robots such as BUDDY, PAL, and OSHBot, which while not built specifically for telepresence, still offer this as a feature. For example, the OSHBot has a telepresence feature that allows a customer in need of help to contact an associate who may be in another store and remote him or her onto the OSHBot screen.

Over the course of the series, I’ll be tallying about 40 different kinds of telepresence robots, a few of which have already gone away or never made it out of the research lab. Keep an eye out over the coming weeks!

* Note: Before I delve too deeply, we have to deal with a very controversial topic: are telepresence robots really robots?  I will be hijacking the definition of robot from Wikipedia, which states that a robot is an electromechanical device that can be autonomous or semi-autonomous. A device like the Double uses an algorithm that allows it to balance itself on two wheels while in operation, while iRobot’s AVA navigates autonomously. Many telepresence devices have some sort of obstacle avoidance, making them at least semi-autonomous. I am arguing that one or more sensors providing feedback, such as obstacle avoidance, is sufficient for referring to the device as a robot.

Using a BeamPro, Brianna Lempesis waits in line to buy an iPhone6s from the Apple Store in downtown Palo Alto. Photo: Suitable Technologies.

Robots are great for doing dull, dirty, and dangerous jobs, and few jobs are more dangerous and downright dull (at times) than waiting in line to buy the latest tech gadget. Last week in Palo Alto, California, and in Sydney, Australia, telepresence devices stood in for their human counterparts to buy the iPhone 6S. 

Both transactions took place without the humans ever getting in line. Brianna Lempesis, who works for Suitable, hopped in line in Palo Alto the morning the iPhone went on sale there. Lucy Kelly, who works at a marketing firm in Sydney and normally uses a Double for work, was able to hop in line the day before. Kelly on her Double in Sydney and Lempesis on her Beam Pro in Palo Alto were both able to operate their telepresence devices and complete the entire transaction in the comfort of their homes, while multiplexing themselves at their respective offices.

“This the most fun I’ve ever had waiting in a line,” said Lempesis. Though each event was seen as a publicity stunt, I expect this to happen more often as busy people with the financial means wake up to the idea that they can physically be in more than one place at a time.

I’m currently hatching a plan to use this idea for Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens tickets, though I think Sphero’s BB8 might be more appropriate.

In the coming weeks, I’ll be covering  the current state of telepresence to give you an idea of just how prevalent it is, and why this isn’t going away. Watch for more soon.

VGo Communications has amassed $10.3 million in four funding rounds, the last in 2013. VGo received much media attention for the use of their VGo mobility devices for remote presence schooling. They also got attention for an intellectual property infringement suit by InTouch Health which they won in late 2012.

Vecna Technologies, a Cambridge-based builder of healthcare solutions including tugs, software and a clever 24/7 maintenance network system, with this acquisition, can expand their healthcare client services to include offering remote presence care using VGo’s technology.

Similar to the strategic acquisition of Segway by Chinese Ninebot – a situation where Segway was suing Ninebot for IP infringement – and where Segway’s IP passed on to Ninebot, VGo’s IP, which has already undergone thorough court vetting, passes on to Vecna in the VGo acquisition.

Consolidation of VGo into Vecna is under way and VGo’s staff is moving into Vecna’s Cambridge facility.

Telepresence robots give the disabled a sense of independence (Photo: Alain Herzog, EPFL)

For those with extreme mobility problems, such as paralysis following spinal cord injury or neurological disease, telepresence can greatly help to offset social isolation. However, controlling a mobile telepresence device through obstacles like doorways can be difficult when fine motor skills have been compromised. Researchers from CNBI, EPFL and NCCR Robotics this week published a cunning solution that uses brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) to enable patients to share control with the robot, making it far easier to navigate.

The idea  is for patients to use BCIs to remotely control a mobile telepresence robot, through which the user can move and communicate with friends using a bidirectional audio/video connection.

The study tested nine end users and 10 healthy participants using a BCI and telepresence robot. The aim was to study both the BCI configuration and shared control of the robot when used in tandem with this.

The system was tested using a non-invasive BCI to record brain impulses from a cap placed over the head on the sensorimotor complex, with 16 electroencephalogram (EEG) channels transmitting to the robot via Skype. Healthy participants, who were at home, were then asked to remotely manoeuvre the robot in the CNBI lab along a set path with obstacles (such as doorways and tables) and under four separate conditions: BCI shared control; BCI no shared control; manual shared control and manual no shared control. Two separate conditions (BCI shared control and BCI no shared control) were used with end-users.

https://youtu.be/I1KvtNhv9Yc

In the shared control condition, the robot uses sensors to avoid obstacles without instruction from the driver, this has two advantages:

Firstly, inaccuracies in the system are reduced. For example, if a participant instructs the robot to turn left, this can result in a hard turn or a gentle turn; the system isn’t able to detect which. With shared control, if the user wishes to travel through a doorway to the left, they instruct the robot to turn in that direction, and the robot uses its sensors to avoid the doorframe and travels safely through it.

The second advantage is that less information needs to be communicated from the user, thus reducing the cognitive workload. In shared control, participants were able to complete tasks in shorter time periods and with fewer commands.

Of the 19 participants, all were able to pilot the robot after training. There was no discernable difference in ability between disabled and able-bodied users. “Each of the nine subjects with disabilities managed to remotely control the robot with ease after less than 10 days of training,” said Prof. José del R. Millán, who was in charge of the study.

Where possible, patients were also allowed to control the robot through small residual movements, such as head leans that someone might perform while playing a video game, or pressing a button with their head. It was remarkable that these movements were shown to be no more effective in controlling the robot than using the information transmitted over the BCI alone.

Reference:

R. Leeb, L. Tonin, M. Rohm, L. Desideri, T. Carlson and J. Millán, “Towards Independence: A BCI Telepresence Robot for People with Severe Motor Disabilities,” Proceedings of the IEEE, vol. 103, no. 6, pp. 969-982, Jun 2015. A

iPetCompanion

This is not new, but it is one of a few products out there designed specifically for play. I’ve previously written about a Microsoft engineer who used Robotics Studio to design DarwinBot, a mobile robot to play fetch with his dog. There are also web based pet feeders, like FeedandGo or Petzi that simply just allow you to feed and speak to your pets. But play is more interactive than feeding.

iPetCompanion has been doing this for a few years and is installed at several pet shelters across the US. It has actually increased adoptions at these facilities as humans fall in love with these furry creatures and take them home. Stories are written everyday about how technology disconnects us from the real world; this is one where technology allows us to form new connections and potentially in real life.

Revolve Robotics

HIPAA compliance means that medical data can be streamed. A simple MD telepresence consult, which is similar to a telephone call, would not require this type of certification. But once you start implementing data, you enter into a new realm or regulations. While the RP-Vita by iRobot / inTouch Health has HIPAA compliance as well, many hospitals cannot afford or implement such a full blown solution. I did a test drive back when Kubi was released and it was very easy to operate.

While there are other telemedicine apps out there that provide consultations, like Teledoc or Doctor on Demand, Kubi can further enhance those visits by allowing MDs to engage and look around, rather than relying on the patient to hold or move the device for them.

There are certainly obstacles to such devices coming into wide use, particularly around what can actually be charged as service, and how an MD will get reimbursed. These will likely be solved by lawmakers seeking to use technology to reduce costs and save budgets.

Kubi was developed by Revolve back in 2012 and initially funded through an Indiegogo campaign.

ORIGIBOT is an affordable, fully robotic test platform that pairs with your android phone or tablet to become a complete telepresence solution. You connect remotely to ORIGIBOT from most any device and have two-way audio and video plus full control of the robotic platform, arm, and gripper. A full 5 degrees of freedom to interact with the remote environment! ORIGIBOT is crowdfunding now on Indiegogo.

What is ORIGIBOT?

By leveraging your existing device as its communications hub, display, and camera, we were able to create something awesome at a great price. Also, because its Android, this opens the door to unlimited applications and future enhancements from users and the community.

Design

ORIGIBOT is made mostly of aluminum extrusions. Its minimalist design is all about functionality and strength. The body and arms are just the right length to be unobtrusive while navigating, yet can reach from a few inches off the ground to just above most counters, door knobs, and refrigerator water dispensers.

ORIGIBOT will ship with an updated tablet mount that will accommodate ANY android phone or tablet with up to a 10″ display. (Our prototype is carrying a 7″ Samsung galaxy tab 3.)

Fully hackable…

ORIGIBOT was built from the ground up using off-the-shelf components including standard and high-torque hobby servos, standard T-Slot aluminum framing, and an Arduino for control. All custom components are 3D Printed and .stl files will be available for download so you can modify and print replacements yourself. Its Arduino sketch will also be available so you can add custom commands and tweak parameters yourself. The ORIGIBOT forum will become a community where fellow enthusiasts can share and collaborate on ideas and enhancements.

*Keep in mind, ORIGIBOT is not a polished consumer electronics product, but a fully functional robotic test platform.

Here are just some things ORIGIBOT can do:

Learn more on our Indiegogo campaign page.

The People’s Bot is a project by Chelsea Barabas and Nathan Mathias from MIT’s Center for Civic Media that uses telepresence robots for the public good.

“Our telepresent bots broaden inclusion at events & support public interest media-making, through scholarships, media fellowships, and auctions.”

And by public good, they mean for example sneaking into purchasing participant registration for The People’s Bot at the highly popular Computer-Human-Interaction Conference and letting people apply for slots. If you’re interested in CHI, but like many people can’t afford to attend, it looks like you can still bid for a much cheaper telepresence opportunity on eBay. And you don’t even have to put on pants. Bid on Ebay to attend the History of Wearables & Google Glass exhibit at CHI (proceeds go to the CHI student travel grants).

Rumor has it The People’s Bot is currently wandering around the Theorizing the Web conference in New York City.

While not everyone here at Robohub agrees that a telepresence device is technically a robot, this is a pretty cool project. We hope with all of our hearts that they don’t get sued.

Travel in some parts of the world, or for some people, can be dangerous, but robots may soon change that. Yesterday former-NSA-contractor-turned-whistleblower Edward Snowden “walked” onto the TED stage in Vancouver via BEAM telepresence robot, while safely stationed out of the US government’s reach in Russia. It was the first time Snowden, who was granted temporary asylum by the Russian government last August, had “set foot” in North America since he was charged with espionage and theft of government property by the US government. Said Snowden from his onstage perch: “I can see everyone! This is amazing!” How will lawmakers respond?

For disclosing thousands of classified documents that revealed details about the US National Security Agency’s global surveillance programs, and for perpetrating what has been called the most significant government leak in US history, Snowden has been called by some a whistle-blower and a patriot, by others a traitor. That he should grace the stages of a TED conference while in exile would have been no small feet a decade ago.

But this is 2014, the 30th anniversary of TED, and as was pointed out by Chris Anderson (who was interviewing Snowden for this event), a lot has changed since 1984: “Today, if you go to look at a copy of 1984 on Amazon.com,” said Snowden, “the NSA can see a record of that. The Russian Intelligence Service can see a record of that. The Chinese Service can see a record of that. The French service, the German service … They can all see it because it’s not encrypted.” I doubt very much that the Orwellian irony of this fact was lost on anyone in the audience, but what about the significance of Snowden’s appearance via telepresence?

Tellingly, Snowden told us, “If I had to describe myself I wouldn’t use words like ‘hero’ or ‘patriot’ and I wouldn’t use the word ‘traitor’. I’d say I’m an American, and I am a citizen, like everyone else.”

But in an age of telepresence, what does it mean to be a citizen? … a political refugee? … a dissident? … a fugitive? … a traitor? … or an alleged or convicted criminal? How does robotic telepresence technology disrupt our sense of location, boundary, border and space?

Though Snowden’s address was focussed on what it means to be a whistle-blower in the age of the Internet, for me it was these questions about identity and boundary that lurked in the background … Will we have laws one day to prevent convicted gang leaders from conducting their business via telepresence on the street? Will countries impose sanctions on each other for allowing cross-border political dissidence?

Robotics and law expert Ryan Calo seems to think that laws around telepresence are inevitable: “Today’s telepresence permits people to communicate more fully,” he says. “Free speech principles preclude interference by the government. Tomorrow’s telepresence, however, will allow surgeons and others to act on the world in ways that law will feel compelled to reach.”

***

Last month Peter Diamandis introduced Chris Anderson, Curator of TED, to Scott Hassan at Suitable Technologies and encouraged him to use BEAM at TED. Telepresence has been around in various forms for quite some time now but Suitable Technologies has focused on creating an experience that works, that has decent enough quality for both audio and video, and that is robust enough to use an Internet connection.

“It is no mystery that there are governments out there that want to see me dead,” said Snowden, as if to underscore the real and present danger he would have faced had he tried to appear at TED in person.

“I don’t want to harm my government. I want to help my government. But the fact that they are willing to completely ignore due process, they are willing to declare guilt without ever seeing a trial … these are things that we need to work against as a society. We shouldn’t be threatening dissidents. We shouldn’t be criminalizing journalists. And whatever part I can do to that end, I’m happy to do despite the risks.”

But the risks are indeed less when you can BEAM in: Snowden’s talk comes full circle in telepresence terms because it is the very free access to the Internet he is fighting for that allowed him to engage in disruptive politics at TED.

You may be asking yourself how Snowden BEAMing in is different from his (or Assange’s) recent appearance at SXSW via video conference. Indeed this was literally a “staged” event, and the physicality of the interaction was in many ways jilted and forced (note the awkwardly attempted handshake between guest Tim Berners-Lee and Snowden’s BEAM in the video below).

But via BEAM, Snowden is far more free to go where he wants (as long as there are no steps); he can navigate towards the people of his choice and engage them in up close communication. Perhaps this is not so obvious from the video of Snowden on the TED stage, but in other circumstances this would be incredibly enabling technology to someone who faces restricted mobility due to illness, distance, or in Snowden’s case, political/legal issues.

“The team at Suitable Technologies is always excited to learn about individuals who utilize Beam remote presence for their most important conversations, urgent consultations, and memorable presentations. Now, more than ever before, people are realizing that interacting over Beam Pro has its advantages over traditional video conferencing,” says Director of Marketing Erin Rapacki, Director of Marketing at Suitable Technologies.

***

At one point Anderson asks the audience to indicate by show of hands how many of them believed what Snowden did was a reckless act that endangered America. When only a few raise their hands, Anderson says, “It’s hard to put your hand up when the man is standing right here,” causing Snowden and some members of the audience to chuckle. And yet what Anderson said is true. There is power in presence.

Snowden gets a gentle round of applause from those who think his act is heroic. But Anderson notes that many audience members abstain, and remarks that the debate around Snowden probably divides more along generational lines than political ones. “You’re part of a generation that grew up with the Internet and it seems as if you become offended at almost a visceral level when you see something done that you think will harm it.”

Snowden replies: “I grew up not just thinking about the Internet … I grew up IN the internet. And although I never expected to have the chance to defend it in such a direct and practical manner, and to embody it in this unusual, almost avatar manner, I think there is something poetic in the fact that one of the sons of the Internet has become so close to the Internet as a result of their political expression.”

Snowden went on to explain that while government surveillance powers have increased by many orders of magnitude, the power of individuals has also become enabled by technology. “I am living proof that an individual can go head to head against the most powerful adversaries and the most powerful intelligence agencies around the world and win. And I think that’s something that we need to take hope from and that we need to build on to make it accessible to not just technical experts but to ordinary citizens around the world.”

Telepresence robots like BEAM are designed for their simplicity and ease of use; you don’t need to be a roboticist to engage with one. As these devices become increasingly accessible and ubiquitous – like the Internet – we are likely to see them, too, used for all means of expression and communication – political, dissident, or otherwise.

***

“You’re here in North America … in Canada, in this form,” said Anderson, gesturing at the BEAM. “How does that feel?”

“Canada is different than I expected. It’s a lot warmer,” Snowden replied.

Jokes aside, Snowden’s actual physical whereabouts may have just become irrelevant – as long as he has access to the Internet, he can communicate. And with a telepresence robot, he can also be physically present in any location. He may have grown up “in the internet” but the next generation will grow up inside robots.

Watch the TED full video here:

Edward Snowden BEAMed into a TED Talk earlier this week with attention-grabbing headlines. With much less fanfare, this writer participated in a panel in Lyon, France while physically stationed in Stuttgart, Germany, also using a BEAM.

But are BEAMs robots? The international standards group suggests that robots must sense, process that data and produce an action, be reprogrammable, and act in at least two dimensions. BEAMS perform no autonomous activities. They don’t have a collision avoidance system or a navigation system to drive from point A to B. They are remotely driven by a human operator on his laptop or computer. The BEAM operating system isn’t available for modification by users therefor it is not programmable, much less reprogrammable. Consequently BEAMS are remote telepresence devices, but not robots.

In the Robohub article, many mentions of the BEAM were preceded or followed by the word robot or robotic. There were discussions about laws and robotics. This is not an uncommon practice. But as times change, wording becomes more important and it is important to understand that, although roboticists have participated in the design and building of the BEAM, the BEAM itself is not robotic.

The truth about BEAM is that some telepresence devices are providing functional solutions to people that have a need to be one place when they are somewhere else. Suitable Technologies, the company that designed, builds and markets the BEAM, has found a niche for their device. They will probably have similar success with their new BEAM+, a scaled down, less professional, low-cost BEAM meant for home use.

Many other telepresence companies haven’t found their market just yet and are either regrouping or folding.

An example of the former – and also of the ingenuity of their whole team – is CtrlWorks, a Singapore-based start-up funded by the Singapore government and spun off from the local university. CtrlWorks designed and built a slick autonomous navigating, automatic recharging, HD video conferencing telepresence device they named Puppet. Try as they may, they weren’t able to sell many. But they did find interest in their nav system methods and use of the Cloud for processing – which they attempted to provide for the wheelchair market.

But as they were working on that solution, prospective clients were suggesting that they redo their navigation and communication system to provide towing and deliver services vehicles for large facilities that need that type of service. The local airport, for example, received food tray carts offloaded from planes and those carts needed to be moved around the airport for cleaning, unloading, reloading and relocation. A perfect app for an autonomous self-navigating mobile device with enough power to tow lightweight loads. One added advantage was that the airport already used expensive AGVs for baggage handling and understood what they needed and what CtrlWorks could provide. Consequently CtrlWorks modularized their work-to-date and now sell their new Axon system in modules: a sensor mast with LIDAR, cameras and wireless communication, and a drive unit and tow system with wheels, motors and batteries. Scrappy! We wish them well.

Are telepresence robots really robotic? Is the da Vinci robotic surgical system robotic? Is a car with adaptive cruise control acting robotically? Well … no to all three questions.

All three are borderline cases and examples of robotics in a transition state and being affected by two converging robotics-related trends:

• Toward more capable and lower-cost robots, and
• Towards physically-responsive smart devices.

These and many other topics will be discussed next week at Innorobo, in Lyon France along with an extensive exhibition of service robotics start-up companies.

A few months ago Suitable Technologies brought 50 Beam “robots” to the RoboBusiness show in Santa Clara, CA. People unable to attend the conference were able to use their laptops at their home or office to link into the Beam bots and “drive” them around the show, all the while being able to talk and see and communicate with people along the way.

Tuesday I’ll be in Stuttgart, Germany but will use a Beam bot located in Lyon, France to participate in a roundtable discussion on funding, financing and collaborative work. It should be fun.

PS: l will physically be in Lyon at Innorobo Wednesday and Thursday.

NASA came up with the answer recently when their teams began putting one of its humanoid robots through medical school. Should a medical incident arise in space that human crew members are unable to deal with themselves, the robo-doc will be there to save the day. Once trained, the robot doctor should be able to complete basic medical procedures unassisted. For more complicated procedures, an earth-based physician could control the robot via telepresence.

After its training is complete, the $2.5 million Robonaut 2, designed to assist astronauts with their duties both inside and outside the International Space Station, will be able to add medical practices to its resume.

Medical training is a complex and lengthy process, even for a robot. Unfortunately there is no super-software that can be uploaded to the robot to make it become an instant medical expert. But one of R2′s instructors, Dr. Zsolt Garami, M.D. says that the robot is a quick learner; in one hour it can pick up as much as it takes human medical student one week to learn.

R2 joined its mechanical twin Robonaut 1 aboard the International Space Station on August 22, 2013. Unlike R1, which is just a head and torso, R2 has been given motorized legs and is much more dexterous. Software may be upgraded in the future to allow R2 to move around the stations interior and perform routine maintenance tasks such as cleaning filters. Other upgrades may enable the robot to work outside the space station to perform repairs and maintenance checks when there is no call for medical assistance.

In the not too distant future, robotic doctors could be beneficial for patients here on earth where they could perform telesurgery in remote areas or where specialist surgeons are not available. It’s also reassuring to know that by the time humans are ready to colonize Mars, Robonaut doctors will be there to lend a healing hand.

Suitable Technologies just announced their new Beam+ remote presence robot and is offering the first 1,000 units at a price of $995 (thereafter it will be $1,995). First shipments are scheduled for Summer, 2014.

The new Beam+ clearly separates from the corporate Beam in their advertising videos on their website: Beam has a leasing plan and is oriented for business use; Beam+ is a straightforward purchase and geared for home and small business use. Beam+ uses your home or business wifi signal (instead of switching between two dual-band radios and 4G), has scaled down battery life (2 hours instead of 8 on the original Beam), has a 10″ screen (instead of 17″) and has an array of four microphones (compared to 6 on the Beam).

For start-ups and other small businesses – with consistent flooring and strong Internet bandwidth – the discount-priced Beam+ seems like an affordable device to enable roving employes and consultants to check in and move around the office while traveling. Plus it’s fun and techie. Certainly it’s a bargain compared to the $16,000 purchase price for the original Beam.

On June 17, 2013, Astronaut Chris Cassidy successfully drove a K10 rover on earth, via remote connection from the Surface Telerobotics Workbench on the International Space Station, showing that robots deployed to explore Mars or the far side of the moon could be remotely controlled by astronauts in space during future deep-space missions. Telerobotics, which involves human operators remotely controlling robotic arms, rovers and other devices in space, is one means of reducing risk in dull, dangerous or dirty tasks as humans explore space. 

NASA has a long history of playing for high stakes; think of the 7 minutes of terror Curiosity descent to Mars, Spirit & Opportunity, and indeed, the entire space race. Yet when human lives and millions of dollars in technology are invested, it’s critical to keep risk at a minimum. As part of our series on ‘High-Risk / High-Reward’ robotics, we asked Dr. Terry Fong of the NASA Ames Intelligent Robotics Group, to describe how NASA’s telerobotics initiatives help mitigate risk in space missions. – Robohub Editors

Photo credit: NASA. Chris Cassidy studies the Surface Telerobotics Workbench on the International Space Station to remotely operate the K10 rover on Earth at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif., in June 2013.

Photo credit: Dominick Hart/NASA. NASA’s K10 rover at the Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California performs a surface survey with its cameras and laser system, and then deployed a simulated polymide antenna while being controlled by an astronaut in space during a June 2013 test.

“Surface Telerobotics” is a 2013 NASA test to examine how astronauts in the International Space Station (ISS) can remotely operate a surface robot across short time delays. This test will be performed during the summer of
2013 and has three objectives:

1. To demonstrate interactive crew control of a mobile surface telerobot in the presence of short communications delay,
2. To characterize a concept of operations for a single astronaut remotely operating a planetary rover with limited support from ground control, and
3. To characterize telerobot utilization, operator workload and operator situation awareness.

Surface Telerobotics is intended to reduce risk for future human-robot exploration missions, identify technical gaps, and refine key system requirements.

In planning for future human exploration missions, numerous study teams have proposed having astronauts remotely operate surface robots from an orbiting spacecraft using a low-latency, high-bandwidth communications link. This concept of operations is seen as an effective method for performing surface activities that require real-time human involvement without incurring the risk and cost associated with human sorties. In addition, this configuration would allow high-performance spacecraft computing to be used for high-level robot autonomy (perception, navigation, etc.), thus simplifying the processing and avionics required for the robot. Crew-centric surface telerobotics is considered an option for several possible missions:

• Lunar Farside: Astronauts orbiting the Moon (or station-keeping at the Earth-Moon “L2” Lagrange point) remotely operate a surface robot exploring the lunar farside. Astronauts would take advantage of low-latency (less than 250 ms) and high-availability communications to maximize robot utilization during a short-duration mission.
• Near-Earth Object (NEO): Astronauts approaching, in orbit, or departing a NEO (e.g., asteroid) remotely operate a robot landed on surface. Astronauts would control the robot from the flight vehicle because the NEO environment (high rotation rate, rapidly varying illumination, etc.) rules out remote operations from Earth.
• Mars Orbit: Astronauts in aerostationary orbit around Mars (or perhaps landed on Phobos or Deimos) remotely operate a surface robot exploring Mars. Astronauts would control the robot from the flight vehicle when circumstances (time-critical activities, contingency handling, etc.) do not permit remote operation from Earth.

If successful, this project will help NASA better understand the key issues, engineering requirements, and costs/benefits associated with crew-centric surface telerobotics. In addition, data collected by the test will inform the design of future ground-based tests, particularly in terms of the key factors that need to be simulated at high levels of fidelity.

Finally, this project will help confirm (or reject) many of the assumptions and hypotheses that have been made by numerous space exploration study teams regarding the technology maturity, technology gaps, and risks (operational and functional) associated with crew-controlled surface telerobotics.

Project Partners
NASA Ames Intelligent Robotics Group
NASA Lunar Science Institute
NASA Technology Demonstration Missions Program
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Lunar University Network for Astrophysics Research

Mission Location
International Space Station and the NASA Ames Research Center in Moffett Field California

More Information
http://tinyurl.com/surface-telerobotics
http://www.nasa.gov/telerobotics

Researcher Giovanni Mosiello from the Department of Technology at Örebro University, has investigated how to enhance depth perception when using a telepresence robot. In his experiments he found that users often do not have any knowledge of how to drive a robot, and in most cases are not even familiar with the typical movement commands in the field of 3D gaming. Users do not feel like they are part of the remote environment where the robot is driving. This kind of perception however is critical because it allows the users to effectively estimate the distance between objects and avoid collisions. The main goal of the project was to provide a user interface that improves the user’s depth perception through 2D visual feedback and, as a secondary goal, to allow non-expert users to become familiar with the robot control interface. In his thesis “Telepresence robot: an effective drive interface using the augmented reality” Mosiello describes how a more user friendly interface can reduce the effort needed to drive the robot properly, especially for non-expert users.

Credit: iRobot, RP-VITA

RP-VITA is a joint effort between two industry leaders, iRobot and InTouch Health. The robot combines the latest in autonomous navigation and mobility technologies developed by iRobot with state-of-the-art telemedicine and electronic health record integration developed by InTouch Health. RP-VITA allows remote doctor-to-patient consults, ensuring that the physician is in the right place at the right time and has access to the necessary clinical information to take immediate action. The robot has unprecedented ease of use. It maps its own environment and uses an array of sophisticated sensors to autonomously move about a busy space without interfering with people or other objects. Using an intuitive iPad® interface, a doctor can visit a patient, and communicate with hospital staff and patients with a single click, regardless of their location.

The FDA clearance specifies that RP-VITA can be used for active patient monitoring in pre-operative, peri-operative and post-surgical settings, including cardiovascular, neurological, prenatal, psychological and critical care assessments and examinations.
RP-VITA is being sold into the healthcare market by InTouch Health as its new flagship remote presence device. iRobot will continue to explore adjacent market opportunities for robots like RP-VITA and the iRobot Ava mobile robotics platform.

The annual CES – Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, is always a great opportunity for trendspotting and innovation hunting in consumer electronics including consumer robotics. CES 2013 will be held January 8-11 and some of the hot topics discussed this year will be mobility and connectivity, the new mantra of consumer electronics, the state of tech retailing in 2013 including show rooming, battling for online supremacy, OEMs going direct, private label. Other topics are cloud computing and the implications for consumer tech and the future of auto technology.

Credit: Suitable Technologies, Beam

Telepresence robots have been identified as a promising consumer application for many years and there is a growing number of start-up companies developing new mobile platforms for video conferencing, tele-traveling and remote control.

Read more

It was announced today that Grishin Robotics  was investing $250,000 into Y Combinator startup Double Robotics. Double Robotics have already sold out their first order of affordable telepresence robots and look poised to meet the increased demand in high tech low cost consumer robotics with this investment (see previous post “Double Robotics – Crossing the Chasm?“).

Double Robotics, a recent graduate from Y Combinator (http://ycombinator.com), builds telepresence robots, characterized by ground-breaking price ($2,499, can be pre-ordered now for $1,999), great design, light weight and high level of simplicity — it works right “out of box” and uses iPad as a platform.

Double Robotics already has $1.2 million (600 units) in pre-orders (in one month since the launch), from 44 countries around the world. Customers include 24 universities, as well as 17 Fortune 500 companies. Since the first production run of Double has already sold out, the investment from Grishin Robotics will be spent primarily on scaling manufacturing, as well as hiring and further product development. New pre-orders will be delivered in early 2013. Engineers interested in career in Double Robotics can get in touch with the company by the e-mail jobs@doublerobotics.com. [Press Release NEW YORK, NY–(Marketwire – Sep 21, 2012)]

Double Robotics have just moved into their own premises in Mountain View, and it’s encouraging to see that Silicon Valley startup culture is producing such good returns for robotics, both for robotics professionals and for the hopes of robot companies looking for investors. The time is ripe for consumer oriented robots that are more than toys. Sophisticated robotics have become affordable – largely by leveraging smartphone and tablet technology and internet connectivity. This aligns with Dmitry Grishin’s background as cofounder of mail.Ru, the giant Russian mail and media service. It will be interesting to see if Grishin stays in the comfort zone of communication robotics in the future, or steps out into the world of more task oriented robotics.

“Investment in Double Robotics perfectly fits our strategy,” said Dmitry Grishin, founder of Grishin Robotics. “It is a consumer-oriented product with potential to fit a broad range of applications and has already generated strong consumer demand. It’s also important that the price of the product makes it accessible to the wide audience. In addition, the team has creative approach to design and is keen to build user-friendly products — both are very important focus areas for next-generation personal robotics companies. Double Robotics is well positioned to leverage the unique potential of the prominent telepresence robotics market. We have a great belief in Double Robotics team and its product.”

“We are thrilled to have Grishin Robotics and Dmitry Grishin, in particular, as our largest investor to date,” said David Cann, Co-founder of Double Robotics. “We read about the new investment firm and Dmitry’s experience in the field of robotics in June 2012 when the fund was announced. The timing was perfect, as we were just beginning the Y Combinator program with our prototype robot. After our public launch in August, we met with Grishin Robotics and were immediately impressed with their mission and deep knowledge of the robotics industry’s past mistakes and potential future. We look forward to working with Grishin Robotics in the years to come as we build our business.” [Press Release NEW YORK, NY–(Marketwire – Sep 21, 2012)]

Double Robotics, the Ycombinator company behind ‘wheels for the ipad’ is a fantastic showcase of the new breed of affordable consumer robotics. But can they cross the chasm? These guys know how to create a beautiful accessible easy to use robot. And so far, also how to market it.

Double Robotics’ first production run has sold out with over $1 million in orders. This combination of good initial marketing, affordable price point and getting preorders has allowed Double Robotics to avoid the Series A funding bottleneck.

Good news? In general, yes. However, I don’t believe that Double Robotics have found product/market fit. They’re using a shotgun strategy to cross the chasm, to make the move from early tech adopters to mainstream customers. It might work.

This is a challenge many robotics startups will face. Do you focus on selling your robot as a completely new solution with an unknown product/market fit? Or do you spend more time doing customer development, creating product/market fit in a specific vertical?

Ultimately, this raises the question of crossing the chasm vs race to the bottom.

Geoffrey Moore’s concept of a chasm (to be crossed) in the classic adoption cycle describes the difference between early adopter customers and the general market, and the resulting dilemma. Selling to the first segment of your cycle doesn’t guarantee selling to all segments, in spite of the hype your early evangelists drum up.

Double Robotics may have > $1 million in preorders, but at $2000 ea, that’s only 500+ orders. The early tech adopter market at that price point is probably 10-100 x larger. After that, Double need a more pragmatic model.  (I would argue that selling to educational, health and govt related organizations will keep the long tail wagging happily for years to come.  The value add can be simply in increasing the tech savvy reputation of organizations, eg. for $2500 ea my organization is going to be seen to be delivering innovative technological solutions regardless of ultimate practical use.)

Double are pitching a problem solved – cheap easy to use telerobotics – rather than a product for specific market uses. When someone discovers a viable business model, then Double may have the early mover advantage but it rapidly becomes a race to the bottom.

The race to the bottom, like the tragedy of the commons and the prisoner’s dilemma, occurs when communal good is overshadowed by individual greed. The moment that a product/market fit for cheap telerobotics emerges, competition for those market segments will inspire ever cheaper solutions. Robotic vacuum cleaners have been in a similar position. Originally, iRobot, Evolution Robotics/Mint and Neato, were specialist robotics companies with vacuum cleaners as their primary product. Now companies with robotic vacuum cleaners number in the dozens, from cut price clones like Metapo and iTouchless to large consumer appliance/electronics manufacturers like Samsung.

First mover companies have to compete to retain market share with companies that don’t fund research, development, or support and this can in turn damage overall market penetration. Less tech savvy consumers (like my family) have gone to purchase a whizz-bang robot vac and come away from the experience disappointed with the lack of features, the performance, robustness and reliability. Ipods might be mp3 players but not all mp3 players are ipods.

If an idea finally matures, like robot vacuum cleaners, then the originals are also competing against large companies who can access economies of scale including in support, like Samsung. Robotics is in an interesting situation – does it become subsumed into the next product iteration, where every product has robotic features and none worth talking about. Cars are a good example. Or do the ‘robotic’ features carry enough value for niche (robotics) companies to flourish?

Is ‘wheels for your ipad’ going to be a robot company or just another ipad accessory? And can Double Robotics be more than just an early adopter robot toy?

[published on The Robot Launchpad Sept 12 2012]

In a joint press release, US companies InTouch Health and iRobot have announced a new telepresence robot for hospitals. The robot called “RP-VITA” builds on iRobot’s AVA platform introduced at last year’s Consumer Electronics Show. Similar to the AVA, the RP-VITA uses a tablet as the user interface and has autonomous mapping and navigation capabilities. The RP-VITA can also connect with diagnostic devices, such as otoscopes and ultrasound, and comes equipped with the latest electronic stethoscope. The robot is currently pending clearance by the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA), with results expected in the last quarter of 2012.

Link to audio file (37:08)

In today’s show we’ll have a look at the next killer application in robotics, telepresence. The idea is simple, instead of planning a bothersome phone or video conference meeting with all your colleagues, you communicate through a telepresence robot that can move around your workplace while you stay at home. Our first guest, Jean-Christophe Baillie, is the CEO of Gostai which just commercialized the Jazz robots this year. Our second guest, Trevor Blackwell, presents his company’s Anybots.

Jean-Christophe Baillie

Jean-Christophe Baillie received a PhD in Artificial Intelligence from University of Paris 6 and the Sony Computer Science Lab and then founded the Cognitive Robotics Lab in ENSTA/ParisTech. He is now the CEO of Gostai, father of the URBI software platform which was the subject of a previous episode.

Today he tells us about his company’s move to hardware. Building on their knowhow in robot software, and after two years of working in the dark, they just released their Jazz telepresence series. The series includes the “Jazz Connect” robot for mobile telepresence, the “Jazz Icon” for entertainment & events and the “Jazz Security” for surveillance. The head can be embedded with an LCD screen or two round LED eyes.

Finally, Baillie tells us about his hopes for telepresence, what the market looks like, the importance of design when making personal avatars and his ideas for the future.

Trevor Blackwell

Trevor Blackwell is the founder and CEO of Anybots Inc., a Silicon Valley startup developing telepresence robots. He holds a PhD in Computer Science from Harvard and then became a principal at Viaweb specialized in e-commerce software, later acquired by Yahoo. He’s also the inventor of all sorts of vehicles that balance in a way similar to the Segway, including a two-wheeled balancing scooter and the self-balancing Eunicycle which only has one wheel.

Blackwell presents his Anybots, two wheeled balancing telepresence robots that have been seen in local cafes ordering scones. He addresses questions regarding WiFi dependency, design, and tells us how these robots are typically being used in the work place. Finally, he mentions the future where telepresence robots well be able to do more than just communicate.

Links:

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• Gostai’s Homepage
• Anybots’ Homepage