IEEE Spectrum September, 2010 - 31

The robot's main camera is a 5‑megapixel wide angle,
but it doesn't have the same field of view as the human
eye. To see the floor just ahead of the wheels, you have
to press the shift key, which switches the video to a sec‑
ondary camera that faces down. The robot also has a
scanning laser range finder for detecting obstacles. It
steers or stops the robot if you're about to hit some‑
thing-very helpful for avoiding furniture and feet.
QB has a small LCD on its forehead. Normally, it
would show a live video feed of my face. But at the
time of my experiment, Anybots was still debugging
this feature, so the LCD displayed only a generic ava‑
tar. This meant that my voice was my main means of
communication. The audio stream had some crack‑
ling, but otherwise I could chat normally.
That afternoon, I ran into the colleague who had fled
earlier. He again tried to avoid me, but I gave chase (QB's
top speed is 5.6 kilometers per hour, enough to follow
people at a fast pace). I cornered him near the pantry
and told him it was just me in a robot body.
"I get nervous," said Alan Gardner, our editorial
researcher. "I have trouble relating to robots."
Other colleagues, though, were bolder. They wanted
to know what I saw and how I controlled the QB. But
just as I was showing off my capabilities, pirouetting
and zigzagging down the corridor, I got disconnected
from the robot. EriBot was now mindless.
I clicked on my computer and reestablished the
link. "Where did you go?" someone asked. I explained
what had happened. But something was still wrong:
I couldn't steer the robot. I then asked senior edi‑
tor Phil Ross something I'd never imagined asking
anyone: "Phil, can you please reboot me?"
so whaT is iT like To be a Qb? It's not exactly "Star Trek"
teleportation, but being transplanted to another place
as a robot is really cool. And if you were wondering,
yes, you can get actual work done.

As a robot, I tried to interact in different ways with my colleagues.
QB and I sat in on a typical editorial meeting, with two dozen peo‑
ple in a conference room and a few more participating via speaker‑
phone. The editors who call in always complain that being "in the
box" for hours is an ordeal. Participating as a robot, I think, makes
a huge difference, mainly because when you speak, people look at
the robot and you feel you have their attention. Even rolling into the
room and choosing your place around the table gives you a better
sense of "being there."
But the best interactions I had as a robot were the informal ones.
One day, I wheeled over to photo editor Randi Silberman Klett's cubicle,
where we held a spontaneous meeting to discuss art for this very article.
Casual encounters like this, I realized, are the big advantage of telep‑
resence robots over conventional communication systems. There are
times when you just have to walk over to a colleague and look together
at a screen or a piece of paper and see each other's reactions.
Pamela Hinds, codirector of Stanford University's Center for
Work, Technology, and Organization, says there's a "huge need" for
better technologies to support such "on the ground" collaboration.
"Almost all of the technology that is out there is primarily geared to
support meetings," says Hinds, who's tested a QB. She predicts that
more and more companies will embrace telepresence robots.
As a robot, I participated in social events that I wouldn't have been
able to while working at home. Our editorial tea was one example.
Once a month, the Spectrum staff gathers in the conference room to
hang out, drink tea, and eat an assortment of snacks. Attending this
kind of gathering may not seem like a big deal, but a common com‑
plaint among remote workers is that they feel isolated and lonely, a
problem some refer to as "water cooler withdrawal."
When I showed up at tea as QB, my colleagues dressed the robot
in a scarf and hat and then took pictures. I got back at them by hav‑
ing editor in chief Susan Hassler log on to the robot from her home
in Connecticut, unannounced.
"Hello there," she said.
"Who's...who's there?!" they answered, bewildered to be hearing
her voice suddenly coming from the robot. Yep, the next time you
notice a robot standing over your shoulder, it might be your boss.
Continued on page 48

you,
Robot
FrOm LeFt: WOWWee; vgO COmmUniCatiOns; rObODynamiCs; HeaDtHere;
intOUCH HeaLtH; marqUe COrnbLatt; WiLLOW garage

telepresence
robots for
all needs
and wallets

Rovio is a small

rover with a webcam
and omnidirectional
wheels for home
use. Created by
Hong Kong toy
maker WowWee.
Price: US $140

spectrum.ieee.org

Vgo is a sleek,

1.2-meter-high office
robot with a tilting
camera and small
LCD. Sold by Vgo
Communications,
of Nashua, N.H.
Price: $5000

TiLR is a rugged
robot for offices
and factories with
a powerful mobile
base. Created by
RoboDynamics, of
Santa Monica, Calif.
Price: $10 000

Giraffe is a
1.7-meter-high robot
with a large display
designed for healthcare and home use.
Sold by HeadThere,
of San Francisco.
Price: $3000

RP-7i is a hospital
robot used by
doctors to check on
patients. Created
by InTouch Health,
of Santa Barbara,
Calif. Price: About
$50 000 per year

Sparky Jr. is a DIY

project that anyone
can replicate.
Designed by San
Francisco-based
artist Marque
Cornblatt. Parts
cost about $1000

Texai is a robot

that uses off-theshelf parts and the
Robot Operating
System. Created by
Willow Garage, of
Menlo Park, Calif.
Price not available

SEpTEmBEr 2010 * iEEE SpEcTrum * NA

31
http://spectrum.ieee.org
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Spectrum September, 2010
