Servo - April 2012

bots IN BRIEF

COFFEE, TEA, OR QB?

Do you need a receptionist at your company? Are you having trouble affording another employee? Do you like spending time with robots more than humans? If you answered yes to any (or all) of these questions, you might want to check out a brand new service being offered by Anybots that will solve all your problems.

Anybots' QB telepresence robot is famous for ordering scones, gambling in Vegas, taking repeated punches to the face, and hosting certain robotics blog editors. QB has a self-balancing mobile base with a bunch of sophisticated mobile videoconferencing hardware on top. Using a computer with an Internet connection, you can take control of a QB robot anywhere in the world, driving it around, seeing through its eyes, and interacting with people just like you were there yourself. Well, almost. That's the idea, anyway.

Now, Anybots is offering an entirely new service called AnyLobby that leverages the telepresence capabilities of QB to offer full-time telepresence staff to companies who might not otherwise be able to afford a real live human. Here's how it works: For about $2,400 a month,Anybots will send you a QB robot, then a professional human will log in to the robot and be available as a receptionist or an assistant for 40 hours a week. The human on the other end can be physically located anywhere with good Internet, and for locations with only intermittent need, one human can control multiple QBs, saving everybody time and money. GetRobo.com recently talked with one of these human receptionists (via a QB) named Angela:

"We can do a lot of things.” QB doesn't have arms, but thanks to digital technology, she doesn't have any trouble scanning faxes and/or printing documents. The only thing she can't do is provide her signature when a package arrives, but the companies she works for have set up protocols for that — "Call Bob when there's a package."

Oftentimes, robots are thought of as something that can take away jobs, but Angela disagrees."That is not the case here. It is creating jobs for small towns with high unemployment rates."

Anybots is hoping that these "virtual employees" that AnyLobby provides will offer flexible options for small companies who might not otherwise be able to afford a 100 percent old-fashioned home-grown human being. There's actually lots of potential here; it could be extended to other experts, as well. Need some on-site tech support? Just find a qualified person from anywhere in the world and they can have a physical presence right there with you immediately. Telepresence robots won't be completely replacing humans anytime soon, but if they can offer the advantage of being somewhere in person for a fraction of the cost and inconvenience, they might make a viable alternative in plenty of useful situations.

BIN THERE, DONE THAT

Jerome Mack ran a company that made robotic tools. In 1998, his best friend died in a grain bin accident and so he formed Mack Robots to make bots that could do this type of work. Last year, the $15,000-$17,000 Bin Bots began selling and were featured at a recent Minnesota Grain and Feed Association convention and trade show. The service bot measures 6 x 2 feet, weighs 800 lbs, and can fit through a grain bin door. It is also strong enough to lift heavy buckets. It can be operated by a worker from outside with an optional video camera and lights. Some highlighted features include: • Remote control operation from outside the bin.