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Hands on with Double Telepresence Robot

“Aiiee!” I heard one woman scream as I silently cruised around the office, rolling up to coworkers, darting between aisles and popping into meetings. “What is that?” she said as she stared back at my rail-thin body and flat, shiny head. It’s a Double Robotics telepresence robot," I said, smiling, and then turned in place and sped off to startle someone else.

Most people who saw me — or, rather the robot version of myself — test-driving the $2,499 Double Robotics telepresence robot called it “creepy/cool.” While there was no denying the utility of a robot that you can remotely control from anywhere in the world, most of my coworkers found the rolling, whisper-quiet Double robot a bit discomfiting.

Our robot uprising is turning out somewhat different than expected: Instead of an angry legion of humanoid bots working stealthily alongside us until they can take control, we have an array of squat robot vacuums, factories full of headless armature bots and a growing collection of tall, thin telepresence robots, some of which, like Double, feature our own faces.

The Robot in You

The idea behind telepresence robots is quite simple: They can be wherever you physically can’t, operating on your behalf, either via remote control or semi-autonomously. iRobot’s AVA 500, for example, which I looked at earlier this year, can drive itself around the office; it comes with an iPad-based navigation system. Chose a pre-mapped location and off AVA goes. You can rent one for around $2,500 a month.

For one payment of $2,499, however, you can get Double. Double lacks the sensors and stability of AVA 500. Where Ava is on four solid casters, Double’s core robotic body is cylinder with a large wheel on either side. The AVA’s screen is much larger and part of Cisco’s telepresence system. A thin tube extends up and ends in a snug holder for your iPad, which isn't included; it uses your iPad and an app for telepresence. The app puts your face on the iPad screen (via your web cam or iPad Facetime camera) and lets you see the tablet’s view on a web-connected computer or tablet.

While some telepresence robots like AVA 500 have numerous sensors to detect obstacles, Double relies on your driving skills. I used arrow keys on my keyboard and soft arrows on the iPad mini's Double app to drive the robot. Since the iPad camera is not a fisheye lens, it's impossible to see what’s at your robotic feet. Double Robotics, though, had a nifty solution for this problem: a mirror pointed at the iPad’s rear-facing camera (if you switch camera views, it shows you the area around the robot’s two-wheeled feet). This worked surprisingly well, though I wish I could get simultaneous dual-view of what was in front of and below me.

Overall video and sound quality was largely dependent on the Wi-Fi network. For the most part, the video quality was decent, though not exceptional; audio was clear for me and pretty good for those meeting with “me” via Double.

Setup for Dummies

Double came in a giant, intimidating box, but setup could not have been easier. I simply attached the iPad holder to Double’s thin pole and secured it with an Allen wrench, installed the Double app on the Retina iPad (only those iPads with cameras are supported), slid the iPad into the iPad holder (robot head), created an account (user name and password) and then paired the robot and tablet via Bluetooth. Within minutes, I was logged in on my laptop and driving Double, which weighs about 15 pounds, through the office.

Double came fully charged, but if I had to charge it up using the plug-in AC adapter, it would have taken two hours. In my test, I used it for a couple of hours, left it unplugged overnight and found it ready to run again in the morning –- sort of. The robot is supposed to be perfect for arriving at far-flung places on a moment’s notice, but you can’t dial into the robot if the iPad is not turned on and running the Double app.

I left Double on and the app lit and ready to go when I left work. At home, I dialed in through the app, which shows the location of all your available Double robots on a world map. I connected to the robot and did a late-night tour of the office. In the morning, however, I couldn’t log in from home and I soon found out why: The iPad was dead. Clearly, this bot needs a way to keep both the robot and iPad fully charged and ready to connect at any time.

There is some good news on the horizon. Double Robotics told Mashable exclusively that not only is it working on a Double charging station, but that it already has a solution for keeping the iPad charged as well. Better news yet, every Double robotic sold since day one, including the one I tested, is compatible with the solution.

As I assembled and worked with the robot, I noticed two things: exposed metal bars near the base (just above the cylindrical body) and a set of contacts in the tube that hold the iPad holder/head. Neither seemed to have any use. According to Double Robotics, the bars are contacts points for the charging station and the connector pins are actually waiting for a new iPad head mount that will include an iPad charging port.

Balancing Act

As I noted, Double’s body is really just a tube with wheels, which means it balances itself when standing still or rolling about. An internal gyroscope keeps it upright and, if you give it a gentle push (or, as I did, run it into a trash can), it will wobble but not fall down.

The robot starts at 47 inches and can extend to a full five feet tall. You manage this remotely, which may also add to the creep factor. That height difference also changes the robot’s speed. While it can cruise along pretty quickly when standing at 47 inches, a 60-inch Double slows down significantly. A message on the navigation screen warns you that if you want to go fast, you need to make the robot shorter. This is understandable, considering how the height difference changes Double’s center of gravity. In any case, I soon got the hang of shrinking Double whenever I had to travel around the office and growing when I got to a meeting.

Double won’t fall over if it runs low on power or if you choose to “Park” it. The robot has two little metal kickstands that quietly fold out when you hit “park” on the Double app.

The Future of Meetings

Telecommuting is a fact of our modern work life, but anyone who has done so will likely agree that the lack of face time can be frustrating. You’re always the disembodied voice on the conference call, the person people forget to invite to meetings because they never see you. Telepresence robotics like Double can be the solution.

First of all, it’s not one robot for one person. Anyone with the proper credentials can log in and control Double. You'll see his or her face on the screen and at that meeting. It may make sense for Double Robotics to add the option of “virtual footsteps” to imitate the sound of walking to the meeting, though, which would significantly decrease the creep factor.

Would I pay $2,499 for a device that my more than half a dozen telecommuters could use? Yes. Do I wish the better in-the-wings solution for charging the robot and iPad was ready today? Absolutely. However, as soon as it is, this is a robot I want in my office. Heck, I want it now.

The Lowdown

The Good

Easy setup

Good construction

A breeze to use The Bad

One camera view at a time

For now, no way to log in if iPad is asleep