On Sun, Apr 27, 2014 at 12:36 PM, Jed Rothwell <[email protected]>wrote:
Someday there will be a meeting at which everyone attending is embodied by > one of these things. People will wonder why they did not simply make it a > fully electronic. My guess is that these things will never be widespread > for use in offices. > There is a simpler version of one of these at my work: http://www.funkyspacemonkey.com/double-by-double-robotics-wheels-for-your-ipad-video There is an office in Toronto, and some of the people there were piloting the thing around the main office, in San Francisco. The face of the person operating the device appears in the screen at the top (which is simple iPad). It is uncanny how much the robot makes it seem like the person is actually there, in the office. We also make a lot of use of videoconferencing, which has a similar effect. The robot in the link above is clever, but don't try to play a prank on the operator by lifting it up while it's moving. The operator will not know what has caused the loss of control and will continue to apply power, and the wheel will spin even faster. When you set it back on the ground the wheel will suddenly gain traction, and the top will flip down against any sharp edge nearby. We have cracked at least one iPad screen that way. Eric
