Anybots
Anybots Inc. is a robotics company founded in 2001 by Trevor Blackwell in Santa Clara, California. David Rogan became CEO in July 2012.[1] The Anybots logo and name can be spotted during the Season 2 and Season 3 opening credits of the HBO series Silicon Valley.
Robots
Q(X)
Q(X) (also known as the QX) is the latest robot from Anybots. It supports a 21-inch display, or 1 or 2x 15.6 inch screens. It supports 1080p60 High Def video conferencing, 64x zoom camera, and crystal clear audio. It's designed to work with a Polycom Group 500 video conferencing system as supports standard H.323 and SIP video conferencing.[2][3]
Its modular design allows for customer specified payloads and alternate conferencing systems to be included.
QB
QB is a two-wheeled, gyroscopically stabilized remote telepresence unit driven via web browser. The user can select one of a range of bots located around the world, and drive it off from the Anybots website. All that is needed onsite is power, WiFi or 3G/4G. On-board is a touch screen display, speaker and microphone plus a laser for pointing at objects.
Applications include marketing,[4] remote experts, a remote lobby service (where receptionists can remotely ‘bot in’ to greet and guide clients), museum guides, education, and translation services in airports and public spaces, remote property tours provided to foreign clients by real estate agents (engendering trust in that the client can drive them-self around), mobile exhibition attendants and security patrols, as well as the more mundane business meeting presence.
It may also be useful for the handicapped, severely disabled,[5][6] and sick children.[7][8]
Anybots can be purchased in the United States, Japan, and Europe.
QA
QA, debuted at the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show, is the first of Anybots' two telepresence Robots.[9] QA, a 5-foot-tall (1.5 m), 35-pound (16 kg) robot,[10] balances on two wheels, like a Segway,[11] has 5-megapixel cameras, two-way audio and a laser pointer for gesturing.[12] The user connects to QA via WiFi.[13]
The robot was never produced commercially.[14]
Dexter
Dexter is a dynamically balancing bipedal humanoid robot research project. [15] It is learning to walk and can jump, with its feet clearing the ground for a third of a second. [16] Because it uses pneumatics as actuators, its joints are compliant and provide a springy restoring force, much like a human's tendons, allowing it much greater capability to deal with obstacles.[17] [18]
Monty
Monty is a telemanipulation prototype. It picks things up with an 18 degree of freedom hand [19] and is operated remotely through the use of a suit that includes a special glove.
References
- ↑ Anybots Names David Rogan as Chief Executive Officer Archived November 7, 2013, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ VideoTechnology: Anybots creates new virtual presence robot in partnership with Polycom Inc.
- ↑ Anybots creates new virtual presence robot in partnership with Polycom Inc. Archived October 7, 2013, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ Coca-Cola presents: The Social Robot Archived October 17, 2013, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ Disabled Gain Freedom Archived October 7, 2013, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ Creative Communication: Using iPads, iPods, and even Robots as communication devices via Mac OS X.
- ↑ NBC: Bay Area Boy Makes a "Wish," Gets Robotic Tour
- ↑ BBC: Boy 'lived as a robot' for two months
- ↑ Engadget: Anybots rolls out the QA Telegenic Telepresence Robot
- ↑ Pocket Lint: Anybots unveils QA telepresence robot CES 2009: Be anywhere in the world, without actually being there
- ↑ Live From CES: Will Physically Going to CES Become Obsolete?
- ↑ Business robot debuts at CES
- ↑ SF Engadget: Anybots rolls out QA, the telegenic telepresence robot
- ↑ Las Vegas Sun: Teleconferencing robot
- ↑ none BBC: Walking robot steps up the pace
- ↑ Researchers Dream of Humanizing Androids Archived January 2, 2009, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ Tech Digest: Anybots: the world's first dynamically balancing robot
- ↑ YouTube: Anybots' Dexter Jumps (March 2008)
- ↑ Engaget: Robot walks independently with dynamic balancing
External links
- Media related to Anybots at Wikimedia Commons
- Official website
- What is an Anybot? (video)
- Jeri Ellsworth trying a demo of Dexter operating over immersive telepresence on YouTube