If you're keen on the idea of teleporting yourself into a distant robot body, French software maker Gostai is introducing a line of telepresence robots that run on a 3G connection in addition to Wi-Fi.
That means you can drive your robot avatar down the Champs-Elysees, if you so fancy.
Or anywhere with 3G service and flat surfaces, for that matter. But the Jazz bots are mainly for use in one location. They're Web browser-controlled, wheeled machines designed to project a user into a distant place.
They come in three varieties: the Jazz Connect, for meetings and general interaction, the Jazz Icon, which can act as a marketing machine at trade shows (and serve refreshments on a tray), and the Jazz Security, which can detect movement and patrol autonomously.
The Icon is also available for rent from around $2,350. The Jazz base price of $10,400 is considerably less than that of the $15,000 QB telepresence machine from California-based Anybots; it will be interesting to see how much Willow Garage's Texai robots will go for when they hit the market.
Telepresence is still a nascent field, but Gostai is already known for its Urbi robotics software platform.
With 3G connectivity, there really should be an off-road version of the Jazz series. In avatar form, you could roll to your local park, get some fresh air and generally freak people out. Well worth the ten grand.
That means you can drive your robot avatar down the Champs-Elysees, if you so fancy.
Or anywhere with 3G service and flat surfaces, for that matter. But the Jazz bots are mainly for use in one location. They're Web browser-controlled, wheeled machines designed to project a user into a distant place.
(Credit: Gostai)
The Jazz contraptions are about 3 feet tall and have two-way video and audio for interaction (the video below lacks sound, however). They can operate continuously for at least five hours, and will automatically dock when piloted to within a few feet of their charging stations. They come in three varieties: the Jazz Connect, for meetings and general interaction, the Jazz Icon, which can act as a marketing machine at trade shows (and serve refreshments on a tray), and the Jazz Security, which can detect movement and patrol autonomously.
The Icon is also available for rent from around $2,350. The Jazz base price of $10,400 is considerably less than that of the $15,000 QB telepresence machine from California-based Anybots; it will be interesting to see how much Willow Garage's Texai robots will go for when they hit the market.
Telepresence is still a nascent field, but Gostai is already known for its Urbi robotics software platform.
With 3G connectivity, there really should be an off-road version of the Jazz series. In avatar form, you could roll to your local park, get some fresh air and generally freak people out. Well worth the ten grand.