Double Robotics Lets You Be There From A Distance

The idea of having robots in our every day lives is starting to become reality. Some of them are like toys which can be played with in games at work. But, the robots are now becoming far more sophisticated in their design and applications. Many of us have the ability to work from home which does create some problems when it comes to meetings and seeing everything which is going on. There is a growing number of products which can make it seem as though we are there attending the meeting. Some are fixed in place and can turn to show those in the meeting. The real value can come from being able to move about at will to go to other locations in the office when you are still at home.

Another robotic company is bringing Double Robotics to market and is one of those items that you should pay close attention to. This provides you with the ability to be in the office without actually being there. Robots are the future and this provides you with one that has an iPad attached to the top of it. While this does not come with an iPad which you have to supply, it does come with the motorized unit which is controlled through the iPad. It has two wheels to move about and even a kickstand to hold it up when not moving. Reminds me of the Segway. With the Double Robotics which you control remotely, it can be navigated throughout a building as long as there is a level surface.

You "drive" yourself to a meeting and once there, you can move the robot around to see things and people in the meeting. You can even adjust the height of the iPad on the top which is a plus. With the live streaming of video and voice between you and the location of the Double Robotics, you are an active participant. And, with you own iPad, you can connect to other Double Robotics and move them around as though you are actually there. All of this is made possible by connections over the web and the connected iPad controlling the Double Robotics.

We previously talked about the VGo Robots which are being used in hospitals and schools, but comes with a much higher price tag. With anything new, the prices tend to come down as others enter the market. The VGo starts at just under $6,000, making the Double Robotics seem like a bargain.

The Double Robotics is currently on pre-order for $1,999 as part of the second production run. The regular price is $2,500. While it may seem expensive, you only have to consider the costs of commuting to work for a few months to see the value that this provides. Robots are coming and this one is part of the growing movement.

VGo Robots Provide Real World Usage

We know that robots will be the future for mankind and we all hope that it will be for the positive in the years to come. The question is how can robots be used today for more than the things like the robot vacuum cleaner or for games. The key to their success and general acceptance is going to be how they are perceived when in use. There are too many movies which predict a dark future as robots take over the world. But, there are some very positive examples today.

If you were watching the NFL playoffs, you were more than likely exposed to a real world example in use today. The commercial which was shown is included below for your reference. The VGO Telepresence Robot weighs about 18 pounds and rolls on wheels which can be controlled by the student at home. In what could be considered as not a big deal is huge for the students who are at home and cannot attend school. Yet, these robots with their camera, speaker and listening ability, is the next best things to the student actually being in the classroom.

There is a student in New York who cannot attend school because of very severe allergies which keep Devon Carrow out of school. Being in 2nd grade, he needs to be attending school for his education, but cannot. If it were not for the VGo telepresence robot, he would not be able to attend school remotely and complete his education. Just like in the video, he can participate in class and share with his classmates. Before the introduction of the VGo, he would not be able to attend school at all. Home school would have been the only option. There are more than 20 students in the US using the VGo robots.

In another example of the VGo, a doctor made a decision after talking with a patient 260 miles away. This is the best solution where small hospitals do not have a lot of doctors and can get a specialist to look at a patient without physically being in the room with them. The robots may be a great tool to check on patients without having to leave where you are at. Observations of people after surgery will provide for better coverage in hospitals.

The things where a VGo robot can be used are not all that limited. Other than it cannot open doors or climb stairs, its value is important. Another example is of an aging relative who could not travel across the country to participate in a wedding. But with the VGo, she was able to join into the festivities and participate with everyone having a great experience. Think of this as Skype on wheels.

Right now, the VGo Telepresence Robots start at $5,995 along with a service contract which is listed at $100 per month. May seem steep, but it provides someone to continue something important like an education. The included battery will last about 6 hours on a single charge. For another $195, you can get a battery that provides power for 12 hours and adds 5 pounds to the VGO. This is just one of several companies in the market providing robots as a way to keep people connected and one that we can expect to see more of in the future.

The future for robots is coming and we are seeing examples of it today. We can expect to see expanded usage for robots in the years to come.

Your Personal Robot From Romotive

Robots are becoming an interesting area in the past few years as technology advancements have made them far more life like. So, what if you want one that you can have at home as something for the kids to get them interested. And we are not talking about a 4 foot robot, but something small. The great thing about this is that it works with your iPhone to control it by mounting on the robot, which can do a number of different things. That includes having it figure out how to navigate through a room and not run into anything. This has so many variations on what it can do and they are growing.

Romo from Romotive can be considered as a personal robot, though it does not have arms. But it is a reasonably priced robot at $149. The current plans have this to begin shipping in March next year and it will probably have inventory issues until they can catch up from the initial demand. Romo the robot measures 4.5 inches wide and 3 inches tall with a length of 5.6 inches. Sounds like a great size to work with. The iPhone slot can tilt 15 degrees forward and up to 45 degrees backward.

With the Romo apps you download onto your iPhone, you can program what you need Romo the robot to do. And Romo can learn, which is what much larger robots can do making this very realistic. You might wonder how technical you have to be to program Romo, but with the graphical user interface, you can do just about anything you need to get this up and running as soon as you get it out of the box.

This runs on batteries and they can be recharged through the use of a USB cable. Take a look at the video they created when this was part of the Kickstarter project.