One of the biggest companies in robotics has teamed up with one of the biggest in telepresence to create a new remote collaboration robot. iRobot and Cisco announced today they are working together to develop a robot called Ava 500 that can autonomously drive itself around an office and offers a crisp HD telepresence experience.
The two companies, which are demonstrating the new robot at a trade show this week in Florida, say it will be available early next year (no details on price yet). The Ava 500 blends technologies from both companies: iRobot has built a capable autonomous navigation platform that it's been integrating into its remote presence robots; and networking giant Cisco is a major provider of video telepresence systems to the corporate market (and to Jack Bauer).
Telepresence robots designed to let off-site workers participate in meetings and visit remote locations are becoming increasingly popular. Offerings vary from streamlined models like the Double to sophisticated and more costly robots like iRobot's RP-VITA, which can be used in hospitals. Other remote presence robots include Jazz, Vgo, QB, and Beam.
The Ava 500 stands out from other robots thanks to its autonomous navigation technology. In other telepresence robots, a remote user has to drive it around. Piloting a mobile robot at a distance is a lot of fun (you almost feel like you have a body at another location), but it can also be a barrier to some users. Ava 500 makes it easier to get around: It maps the environment with a laser scanner, and once it's learned where different rooms are, you can just tell the robot where to go and it will drive itself there, avoiding collisions with the water cooler and your coworkers.
Another feature of the Ava 500 is its big screen. A number of existing telepresence robots have only small-ish screens, forcing people to squint to see the remote user's face. Not the Ava 500. Sitting atop the robotic platform is Cisco’s TelePresence EX60 system equipped with a 21.5-inch display (it's typically used as a desktop device!), which means your colleagues can see your face in full HD glory. (This design, featuring a big display, is similar to the Beam from Suitable Technologies and its predecessor, the Texai).
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That said, having tested a bunch of telepresence robots, I can tell you that not everything works as advertised when you unleash these robots in the real world. A big display may mean great video experience, but it also creates a lot of vibration when the robot is moving (you can see that happening in some scenes in the video below). And HD video quality is great when you have enough bandwidth; when network limitations exist, the video can get grainy and choppy.
