So The Verge had one of it’s reporters from England (James Vincent) experience remote presence – or robotic telepresence – using our favorite low-cost device, the double.
As you can see in the attached video, he had as much fun using the device as the WSJ person did while using the Anybot in their New York office.
Couple of things we wanted to discuss here – which sadly, as a reporter uses the device, they tend to miss out on the real value of the remote presence.
An inverted pendulum is not always stable
Running a device into a wall does not make any device happy – and especially with the double, the tendency to crash and fall down is sadly increased.
Checking one device should not condemn the entire market
Sadly, by only using the double, the reporter missed out on better visual acuity, a stronger navigation control and a more stable driving experience. It would be complaining about cars would not catch on — if the only car you drove was an Edsel.
Having a Brit use a remote presence device is like asking an introvert to give a keynote at CES
One social norm that the British (stereotypically) seem to support regularly is the avoidance of embarrassment. Drive a telepresence device is not bad, especially when the idea about creating presence is key – when you are distant from other offices. The challenge is whether the person/personality is able to work within the confines of a limited degree of motion device.
So James, if you’d like to experience other telepresence systems beyond the double – give us a ring. We’d be happy to help explain the other options and how we use remote presence VERY effectively.