Telepresence robots for academics

Abstract

Telepresence robotics is a sophisticated form of robotic remote control in which a human operator has a sense of being on location-that is, of being telepresent. I propose a demonstration of two telepresence robots, one floor model (VGo) and one tabletop model (KUBI). In this proposal, I describe the technology and briefly summarize the research that led to the purchase of the robots. The research focused on the telepresence needs of a mobility-impaired academic and included a user study as well as a review of the affordances of commercially-available telepresence robotic devices. The implications extend beyond uses of telepresence robots in cases of mobility impairment to academic contexts in general.