iRobot, makers of the ever-popular Roomba, is teaming up with wireless routers expert Cisco to develop a new telepresence robot called the Ava 500.
You can directly control where the robot rolls around, or set the machine to autonomously navigate to waypoints around your office via an iPad. The bot can learn your office’s layout thanks to an onboard laser scanner. Meanwhile, it also displays your face on a 21-inch screen that you can switch off for some privacy—try hiding your face in real-life!
If you’re in the Orlando, Florida area and able to attend, you can check out the Ava 500 at InfoComm 2013 this week. Otherwise, the Ava 500 will be available sometime early next year.
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[iRobot via IEEE Spectrum]
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