Say Hello to Double Robotics' iPad Telepresence Robot

[tuanmai]

Last year Mountain-View based designer David Cann and engineer Marc DeVidts joined forces to create Double Robotics, a company dedicated to the creation of a cutting edge user-robot experience that is different from anything currently offered. After a yea

Say Hello to Double Robotics' iPad Telepresence Robot : Read more

 

[IndignantSkeptic]

I've been waiting until people put robots on Segway type mobility systems and allow you to use existing devices for its other parts.

 

[alyoshka]

Really?.... It's like a target market for just iPad users......??
hey ought to have been testing it on other stuff too.

 

[oj88]

Pretty neat design. But how low will it bend over? Can it climb up & down the stairs? I am more interested in a mini-tank like robot (expensive) or iRobot (cheap, but unable to climb stairs). Both can be equipped with a wifi webcam and go under my bed to look for missing items or cat.

 

[Vorador2]

So 1.999$ without iPad?

I wonder if it would have been cheaper if they used just an Arduino board, a 3G modem and/or WiFi adapter and a webcam.

 

[tanjo]

Nice prototype... but I'm pretty sure it'll stay that way. "Virtual museum visits" will never work out. Photographs of the art pieces are better than streamed videos.

 

[alidan]

this looks so very VERY stupid

 

[freggo]

Cute toy if you got $$$ to burn.

 

[belardo]

What if you put one on each foot?

 

[samkl]

Very neat and hopefully useful.

What if this robots could be taking orders in waiting lines? Perhaps in restaurants, hotels or other places where long queues occur?

 

[Guest]

iRobot has had a similar product for years already and it don't require an Apple device...

 

[Guest]

Lol. I dare someone to put an ipad on a segway and drive it through some city (any city). I bet it gets stolen.

 

[vertigo_2000]

There's something seriously wrong with our society.

Does this have practical applications? Of course. But lazy people will figure out a way to dumb down society. I can already imagine a lineup of these things at the movie theatre. Humans sitting in seats and these things standing there facing the screen because some lazy schmuck couldn't be bothered to get off his butt to go to the theatre to watch the movie.

This is the first step towards that movie "Surrogates" that Bruce Willis was in.

 

[killerclick]

[citation][nom]vertigo_2000[/nom]There's something seriously wrong with our society.[/citation]

Why? Are you one of those sociable people who like interaction with others? Anything that keeps people away from each other is fine by me.

 

[vertigo_2000]

[citation][nom]killerclick[/nom]Why? Are you one of those sociable people who like interaction with others? Anything that keeps people away from each other is fine by me.[/citation]
I'm guessing you're a virgin.

 

[sheepsnowadays]

[citation][nom]samkl[/nom]Very neat and hopefully useful. What if this robots could be taking orders in waiting lines? Perhaps in restaurants, hotels or other places where long queues occur?[/citation]
Then half the population would be out of work.

 

[ankaJ42]

I like this concept, very sleek robot. Anyone know what they are doing for obstacle avoidance? The iPad camera is ok for avoidance if the obstacle is high enough to be seen by the camera, but for lower obstacles, tables/chairs, it needs other sensors and ability to override user input for the safety of the robot and people the robot is operated around.

 

[tburns1]

Quite honestly ...if it ain't broke, don't fix it! Conference lines and live meetings work great! Why bother? A stick with a head on it would only serve as a distraction. If you need it that bad, put the person's picture in a frame and set it on the conference room table for all to see. Stupid!

 

[taylorh_9]

This has plenty of practical application for remote telepresence, video conferencing, and telecommuting. Anywhere you'd want to facetime with someone, this just makes it so you have the freedom to be portable... simple enough. I think it's cool.
But I don't see why museums would have any interest in this. They would be far better off allowing their exhibits to be put online than to have untrained people driving these things around running in to other people, in to exhibits, and down the stairways. Also I don't think other museum patrons would like to be dodging these things.