7 ms·

The hardest part for telepresence robots is finding a market/use case to grow in. Being cheaper is a great first step, but who are you selling to?

by Qworg 14y ago

jgrahamc 14y ago
I work remotely for CloudFlare. I wish we had one of these so that I could attend meetings at the company or hang out at someone's desk.
- Qworg 14y ago
  Right, but how will this be better than screensharing and teleconferencing? I'm not trashing the technology - it is an extremely well done version of a telepresence robot, combined with a spectacular price point. I'm worried that they're not competing with who they think they are competing with.
  - pavel_lishin 14y ago
    > how will this be better than screensharing and teleconferencing? We have a remote worker. During meetings, the iPad that he's on just sits on a desk, pointing at only some of us. It would be nice if he could turn around and face the person he's addressing. It's a small thing, but important.
    - stcredzero 14y ago
      The troll solution would be to buy an old turntable and put his iPad on that. No more manual turning! Seriously, an app that can remotely command a turntable/stand would be neat. TouchOSC would be able to do it, provided the right proxy and hardware at the other end. http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/touchosc/id288120394?mt=8 http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/touchosc/id288120394?mt=8
      - pavel_lishin 14y ago
        Not a bad idea, I have a USB missile launcher but I've been having a hell of a time talking to it via USB. :/
  - jgrahamc 14y ago
    It means I can go into a meeting and 'sit' at a table with people and turn and see what's being written on the whiteboard. It's much better for me (because I can attend) and it's better than screensharing and teleconferencing because the participants in SF do not have to use some program to accommodate me.
    - tankbot 14y ago
      > and it's better than screensharing and teleconferencing because the participants in SF do not have to use some program to accommodate me. This is huge. There's nothing worse than holding up an entire meeting while someone struggles to connect to you via video chat while IT is in there sweating bullets because a new driver/update is trying to install itself. Removing this burden from others would be worth it to me.
      - Qworg 14y ago
        This isn't an argument for a telepresence robot - it is an argument for a Cisco teleoffice installation. Having a robot adds a whole new layer of complexity and issues.
        nooneelse 14y ago
        Then after the official meeting, when attendees go out to the food table in another room and the tele-attending people can't digitally follow them, I'm sure the attendees will all just not discuss anything important, right? Or "hey, Bob, I'm glad you could use the teleoffice installation to join us today. Gosh, I wish I could have you with me tomorrow when I go across town to check out a small factory. You know so much more about that stuff than me, but unfortunately the tele-office is huge and all."
        Qworg 14y ago
        First, I think you're overestimating how easily people will adapt to having these robots around. I hope there's no stairs or elevators in between the official meeting and the food table. Second, does this small factory have high speed wifi? In my experience, that's very rare. You know what does work in these situations? Flying out to the meeting. As a technologist and possible early adopter, it is really easy to see how YOU'D use something. It is far harder to put yourself in the shoes of another and judge it from their perspective. That said, once telepresence robots are in place, they seem to be very sticky - most people don't want to give them up. [1] A key quote from [1]: "the greatest barrier keeping telerobotics from conquering the office probably isn’t hardware or software, it’s red tape" [1]: http://singularityhub.com/2010/08/23/exclusive-head-of-robodynamics-reveals-the-hard-truth-about-telepresence-robots/ http://singularityhub.com/2010/08/23/exclusive-head-of-robod...
deleted 14y ago
[deleted]
waterside81 14y ago
How about during surgeries where a remote doctor who is highly trained can wheel around (virtually) and instruct or guide a less experienced surgeon?

The hardest part for telepresence robots is finding a market/use case to grow in. Being cheaper is a great first step, but who are you selling to?

by Qworg 14y ago

The hardest part for telepresence robots is finding a market/use case to grow in. Being cheaper is a great first step, but who are you selling to?

jgrahamc 14y ago

I work remotely for CloudFlare. I wish we had one of these so that I could attend meetings at the company or hang out at someone's desk.

Qworg 14y ago
Right, but how will this be better than screensharing and teleconferencing? I'm not trashing the technology - it is an extremely well done version of a telepresence robot, combined with a spectacular price point. I'm worried that they're not competing with who they think they are competing with.
- pavel_lishin 14y ago
  > how will this be better than screensharing and teleconferencing? We have a remote worker. During meetings, the iPad that he's on just sits on a desk, pointing at only some of us. It would be nice if he could turn around and face the person he's addressing. It's a small thing, but important.
  - stcredzero 14y ago
    The troll solution would be to buy an old turntable and put his iPad on that. No more manual turning! Seriously, an app that can remotely command a turntable/stand would be neat. TouchOSC would be able to do it, provided the right proxy and hardware at the other end. http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/touchosc/id288120394?mt=8 http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/touchosc/id288120394?mt=8
    - pavel_lishin 14y ago
      Not a bad idea, I have a USB missile launcher but I've been having a hell of a time talking to it via USB. :/
- jgrahamc 14y ago
  It means I can go into a meeting and 'sit' at a table with people and turn and see what's being written on the whiteboard. It's much better for me (because I can attend) and it's better than screensharing and teleconferencing because the participants in SF do not have to use some program to accommodate me.
  - tankbot 14y ago
    > and it's better than screensharing and teleconferencing because the participants in SF do not have to use some program to accommodate me. This is huge. There's nothing worse than holding up an entire meeting while someone struggles to connect to you via video chat while IT is in there sweating bullets because a new driver/update is trying to install itself. Removing this burden from others would be worth it to me.
    - Qworg 14y ago
      This isn't an argument for a telepresence robot - it is an argument for a Cisco teleoffice installation. Having a robot adds a whole new layer of complexity and issues.
      - nooneelse 14y ago
        Then after the official meeting, when attendees go out to the food table in another room and the tele-attending people can't digitally follow them, I'm sure the attendees will all just not discuss anything important, right? Or "hey, Bob, I'm glad you could use the teleoffice installation to join us today. Gosh, I wish I could have you with me tomorrow when I go across town to check out a small factory. You know so much more about that stuff than me, but unfortunately the tele-office is huge and all."
        Qworg 14y ago
        First, I think you're overestimating how easily people will adapt to having these robots around. I hope there's no stairs or elevators in between the official meeting and the food table. Second, does this small factory have high speed wifi? In my experience, that's very rare. You know what does work in these situations? Flying out to the meeting. As a technologist and possible early adopter, it is really easy to see how YOU'D use something. It is far harder to put yourself in the shoes of another and judge it from their perspective. That said, once telepresence robots are in place, they seem to be very sticky - most people don't want to give them up. [1] A key quote from [1]: "the greatest barrier keeping telerobotics from conquering the office probably isn’t hardware or software, it’s red tape" [1]: http://singularityhub.com/2010/08/23/exclusive-head-of-robodynamics-reveals-the-hard-truth-about-telepresence-robots/ http://singularityhub.com/2010/08/23/exclusive-head-of-robod...

deleted 14y ago

[deleted]

waterside81 14y ago

How about during surgeries where a remote doctor who is highly trained can wheel around (virtually) and instruct or guide a less experienced surgeon?