Sensors, cameras and wheels replace travel costs and time spending for travelling around the globe. This is the charm of telepresence robots, they could replace humans having in the back other humans.
iRobot Ava 500 is a service robot with personality, it is a combination between high-tech navigation technologies and emotional states determined through a variety of behavioral responses over distances. Based on the old telepresence platform Ava, Ava 500 is designed to break the barrier of communications, and like a human, Ava 500 is moving in any direction and safely self-navigate to any place in the environment.
Working with and alongside robots is a spiraling trend state for humans globally with a large variety of advantages including cost saving, improving communication and increase the productivity.
The combination between iRobot (a company with telepresence robotic platforms like Ava or RP-VITA) and Cisco (for personal video technology like TelePresence EX60) resulting in the first autonomous telepresence robot. This virtual teleportation tool has the main role to enable people participating, working, and visiting any place in a building, any production line in a factory, and travel anywhere in a house.
Based on Ava telepresence robotic platform and looking like RP-VITA, Ava 500 includes most of the technologies of the two platforms less the control application that uses the iPad for Ava and the standard video collaboration system located into the RP-VITA. Ava 500 uses an iPad with another control application that work simple and let the user to pick a destination located on a map, or even more, select the name of a person and the room where the robot will make its presentation.
Table of Contents
ToggleFeatures
- autonomous navigation;
- TelePresence EX60 personal telepresence systems;
- 21.5-inch HD resolution screen located into the front;
- slide from 132 centimeters (52 inches) to 165 centimeters (65 inches);
- HD video system;
- high-quality audio system;
- 3D sensor;
- Cisco Aironet 1600 Series wireless access;
- pre-installed maps for navigation;
iRobot Ava 500 in Debate
In the following, I make an overview of design, navigation system, and applications for iRobot Ava 500.
Design
A large screen, slide system to adjust the height of the robot, and rounded shapes are the most visible physical characteristics of Ava 500.
From top to bottom the telepresence robot is divided into three major parts: a large screen, slide system, and the wheeled based platform.
The head of Ava 500 is a 21.5-inch HD screen with built-in HD video camera located at the top of the screen. Both, the screen and the camera, are part of the same system – EX60. The Cisco system EX60 has a recommended resolution of 1920×1200 pixels of the screen, a video camera that can be tilted and 1080p or 720p resolution, and dual front speakers with high-definition audio.
Cisco TelePresence EX60 communication system uses Cisco Aironet 1600 Series wireless access points for Internet connection characterized by a high security and interoperability.
Both systems provide continuing data in video images and sounds, and also security in sending/receiving data.
The screen is attached to the body of Ava through a sliding system that can move up and down the screen from 132 centimeters (52 inches) to 165 centimeters (65 inches), a feature to keep the robot screen at the same level with that person involved in the discussion.
Under the screen, in the back of the robot is located a big emergency stop button in case that the robot has errors in operation. Once the button is pressed the entire system is shutting down. In front of Ava 500 is a large space dedicated to Primesense 3D sensor that scans the room.
The bottom part of the machine is distinguished through light, LED’s that represent the emotional part of the robot. Also, the base is used for connection between the charger and the batteries. A plug-in port for charging is located in the back of the wheeled base platform that makes it easy to connect the Ava to a power source.
Navigation
With self-driving navigation system Ava 500 is the first autonomous telepresence robot.
While almost all telepresence robots are guided inside the rooms using a tablet or a joystick, Ava 500 has a self-driving system that guides the robot inside buildings. The user has to select a destination or an employee’s name and a room while the Ava 500 does the rest.
The navigation system is developed in the labs of iRobot and uses advanced scanning sensors and algorithms to recognize objects and avoid obstacles. The robot guides itself to the destination while moderate the speed, detect and avoid humans and obstacles, and based on the same driving system when the conference ending it returns to the base and connected for charging.
Using an iPad application with a friendly interface the user selects the destination on a map or a room and name from a list with employees. After the destination is set, the autonomous driving system does what is designed to make, guides the robot using the map to the destination.
Hardware components include Primsense 3D motion capture system, a technology which has proven the efficiency in the Kinect system for Xbox 360. Infrared lights scanning the room and built 3D images in as far as these images are used to navigate and for objects or human detection.
Applications
Remote collaboration, tours and inspections are three of the applications for which Ava 500 was built.
Once reached on the market, Ava 500 could be used for many applications, but some of these fit more than any other application.
Used in offices the user is free to travel from office to office and meeting rooms while audio and video images makes his presence felt. A similar situation when the robot is used in factories for inspections in different areas including labs, supply chain facilities, or manufacturing facilities.
Used in tourism, the robot can keep up with virtual tourists while it navigates in a museum or in an art gallery.
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