iRobot Corp. and Cisco introduced an enterprise-grade video collaboration robot.
The Ava 500 robot combines iRobot’s autonomous navigation with Cisco’s TelePresence to enable people working off-site to participate in meetings and presentations where movement and location spontaneity are important.
The remote user schedules and controls Ava 500 using an iPad interface, selecting his or her destination by tapping a location on a map or by choosing a room or employee name. An available robot is then activated to “take” the user where they want to go. The user can choose whether to make the trip from the charging station to selected location in either “private” mode—where the screen appears blank—or in “public” mode—where the user’s face is displayed. If public mode is chosen, the user can see and be seen, and even stop to have an ad-hoc hallway conversation with a colleague. When the session is complete, the Ava 500 automatically returns to its charging station.
"iRobot is excited to work with Cisco to bring this next generation of telepresence to businesses worldwide," said Youssef Saleh, vice president and general manager of iRobot’s Remote Presence business unit. "iRobot has been successful in introducing autonomous remote presence platforms to hospitals. Ava 500 will unlock new markets and applications for telepresence in the workplace."
Commercial availability is expected in early calendar year 2014.
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http://www.irobot.com/en/us/Company/Press_Center/Press_Releases/Press_Release.aspx?n=061013
