Be Virtually Present Anywhere with the Giraffe Robot

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If you have ever needed to be in two places at once – in two business meetings for example – then why not send a Giraffe in your place. In fact, why not get two Giraffes and send one to each meeting whilst putting your feet up at home?

Admittedly, you could question just how well you could be represented by a Giraffe, but this isn’t that sort of Giraffe, this is a robot that will facilitate you projecting your considerable presence anywhere the robot is installed and it could be the ideal device to add a little flair to virtual conferencing – which, let’s face it, tend to be particularly drab affairs at the best of times.

What makes the Giraffe different from standard virtual conferencing gadgets is the ability to actually control the device remotely via a wireless internet connection so that, should you wish, you can roam the department floor looking for trouble. And, just to ensure that your sphere of influence isn’t limited to a single room, the 30lb device will even open doors as you steer it around.

The Giraffe features a robot with a screen mounted at the equivalent height of a standing person with relays the image of your face to those around the device whilst you, in turn, see via an internal 2 mega pixel wide angle camera complete with 8X zoom thus ensuring that you don’t miss a thing. Scary stuff.

“Are you still at lunch?”

Full Technical Specifications:

• The HeadThere Giraffe is a sophisticated Internet-enabled telepresence robot. The Giraffe uses either 3G telephony or an 802.11x wireless connection to maintain Internet connectivity. Video conferencing and mobility algorithms run on a VIA Mini-ITX main board running at 1Ghz and with 256 MB of RAM. A 512MB Flash-RAM supplies persistent storage. An AVR micro-controller handles hard real-time requirements such as executing motion profiles.
• Form Factor: The Giraffe has been designed with a low center of gravity, ensuring stable operation even on wheelchair ramps. The Giraffe’s surprisingly low 30lb ( 14kg ) weight allows it to easily be placed in your car or carried up stairs. The Giraffe can be remotely adjusted in height by a full 17″, enabling the robot to assume both a 5′ 8″ standing height and a 4′ 5″ sitting height.
• Head Unit: A 14″ LCD panel with 1024×768 resolution is incorporated into the head unit. Video capture occurs using a 2 mega-pixel video camera with a 120 degree field of view lens. This offers much higher resolution and a much greater field of view than a typical computer webcam. A 2″ full-range speaker and two high-sensitively microphones handle the audio. The head unit can tilt +/-90 degrees using a powerful servo motor.
• Base: The base moves using a differential drive movement system. A patented suspension system allows the 5″ wheels to climb small obstacles and rugs while maintaining the stalk in an upright position. The drive wheels are driven by high-power motors enabling speeds of up to two meters per second, a brisk walking pace. Both drive motors use encoders for accurate positional feedback.
• Sensors: 4 IR sensors are used for collision avoidance.
• Wireless: Capable of supporting both 802.11 wireless and major 3G cellular data services, the Giraffe can be used almost anywhere.
• Docking Station: A remote user can charge the Giraffe by driving it onto docking station. The docking station charges the 5000 mAh, 21V NiMH batteries in under two hours. A full charge is sufficient to allow the Giraffe to wander untethered for over two hours. The Giraffe can also be used while being charged, although naturally it must stay on the docking station.
• User Interface: The HeadThere client interface is designed to be as easy to use as possible, and does not require any special hardware such as a joystick. A standard computer and its pointing device (such as a mouse) are all you need. The patent-pending click-to-move interface means that you can move the Giraffe device where you want, when you want, without wrestling with the controls. Simply click the mouse on the real-time video image, and the robot will go to the place you clicked. If you want to turn in place, make a dragging motion with the mouse on the real-time video image. The Giraffe will automatically move until the camera is centered at the end point of the drag.

The Giraffe is still in development with a planned commercial release in 2008, though Headthere, the company behind the Giraffe, are already taking pre-orders. Further details can be obtained from the Headthere Website.