Your personal robot self

[brandondedicant]

A number of companies are now making office robots that let you log in from home and move around the office like a mobile teleconferencing unit.  I think they look kinda creepy.

2011 Preview: Enter the robot self   New Scientist

Comments

[ext_367411]

Personally I'm not creeped out, I'm impressed by a very ingenious new use of existing technology. It's basically just a laptop on motorized wheels, put to a whole new purpose. (Topheavy though!)

However it doesn't appear to have a way of manipulating objects, so I see it as not useful. In the video it does two things: goes to a meeting (there is already teleconference technology for that, much cheaper) and talks with individual coworkers (would be better handled by video Skype on existing workstations). So right now, it doesn't offer any functionality that an office can't get cheaper elsewhere.

Also, if we're going to have teleconferencing drones, I'd rather see iPhones on tiny Roomba wheels, so the whole device is the size of a wallet. Save space and energy.

Still, once it can do more than video chat it will be a great tool.