Distance Collaboration Support Environment

Abstract

This paper explains a new distance collaboration support environment for use in product development processes. This environment makes it possible to organize a meeting with up to eight stakeholders in two locations, where there is minimal distraction by the distance. Not only audio and video are shared, but also physical products placed on a table and hand movements are visible for each participant. This allows for pointing with a finger at objects which are only present at one location. All these technological possibilities are integrated in one physical setting to minimize start-up times and to ensure that all remote locations are comparable. Consequently, so participants know exactly what participants at the remote location see.