Full Circle Magazine FR

I go to work, drink my morning coffee, and say Hi to Geoffrey-Allen on the college campus. We stroll down the hallway to attend our morning meeting. I am located in Missouri, while Geoffrey-Allen is in Georgia. Geoffrey-Allen is the owner of a telepresence robot. A robot that enables me to interact with him on a personal level. For me, Geoffrey-Allen is not an offsite co-worker, but a friend who communicates through a robotic body. This robot is manufactured by Double Robotics. This article will offer two sides: Double Robotics and Geoffrey-Allen. Let’s get started with Double Robotics. I contacted the company, and eventually I was directed towards Sara Boyles at Double Robotics. Below are her responses to some questions I previously asked her. I interviewed Sara back in September 2016. I would like to thank her for effort and time in answering these questions.

Je vais au boulot, sirote mon premier café du jour et dis Salut à Geoffrey-Allen sur le campus universitaire. Nous nous promenons ensemble dans le couloir pour assister à la réunion du matin. Je me trouve au Missouri, tandis que Geoffrey-Allen est en Géorgie. Geoffrey-Allen est propriétaire d'un robot de téléprésence. Un robot qui me donne la possibilité d'interagir avec lui sur le plan personnel. Pour moi, Geoffrey-Allen n'est pas un collègue au loin, mais un ami qui communique au moyen d'un corps de robot. Ce robot est fabriqué par Double Robotics. Cet article présentera les deux côtés : Double Robotics et Geoffrey-Allen. Commençons par Double Robotics.

J'ai contacté la société et on m'a dirigé finalement vers Sara Boyles chez Double Robotics. Vous trouverez ci-dessous ses réponses à des questions que je lui ai posé en septembre 2016 lors de notre entretien. J'aimerais le remercier d'avoir fait l'effort et pris le temps de me répondre.

Q How did Double Robotics start? How long has it been in business? A Double Robotics was founded in 2011 and officially launched in 2012 after graduating from the Palo Alto, Calif.-based startup incubator, Y Combinator, in August 2012. It has been in business for four years. Q Why create a telepresence robot? Where do you think the future environment will be for such robots? A Telepresence robots allow you to have a physical presence where you can't be in person. Compared to traditional video-conferencing systems where you're relying on someone to send you a login, open up your laptop, etc, using a telepresence robot creates a genuine feeling of autonomy for the remote person. Telepresence allows remote individuals to be in charge of their own movement and gives them a sense of truly being there. This is just the beginning for telepresence. Our core markets currently are enterprise and education, and we hope to continue expanding in those two markets, as well as grow in health care and other fields. Q What is the most common use for these robots? A The two most common uses for Double are enterprise and education. Companies of all sizes, such as LinkedIn, GE, WeWork and Reddit, see great success with Double by giving their remote workers a physical presence in the office. This is a game-changer for talent retention, keeping up company and team morale, and building a sense of camaraderie amongst a distributed workforce.

Q Comment la société Double Robotics a-t-elle commencé ? Depuis quand a-t-elle entamé ses activités ?

R Double Robotics fut créé en 2011, et lancé officiellement en 2012, à sa sortie de l'incubateur des startups, Y Combinator, basé à Palo Alto, en California, en août 2012. Elle est en activité depuis quatre ans.

Q Pourquoi créer un robot de téléprésence ? À votre avis, que sera l'environnement pour de tels robots à l'avenir ?

R Les robots de téléprésence vous permet d'avoir une présence physqieu là où vous ne pouvez pas vous rendre en personne. Comparé aux systèmes de vidéo-conférence traditionnels où quelqu'un doit vous envoyer un nom d'utilisateur, vous devez ouvrir votre ordinateur portable, etc., l'utilisation d'un robot de téléprésence engendre un vrai sentiment d'autonomie pour la personne au loin. Téléprésence permet à des individus à distance de contrôler leur propres déplacements et leur donne l'impression d'être vraiment sur place. Ce n'est que le début de la téléprésence. Actuellement, nos principaux marchés sont les entreprises et l'éducation et nous espérons une croissance continue dans ces deux marchés, ainsi que dans les soins de santé et d'autres domaines.

Q Quelle est l'utilisation la plus courante de ces robots.

R Les deux utilisations les plus courantes de Double sont les entreprises et l'éducation. Des sociétés de toute taille, comme LinkedIn, GE, WeWork et Reddit, constate une grande réussite avec Double car il donne à leurs employés à distance une présence physique au bureau. Cela va tout transformer : la rétention des talents, le maintien de la morale de la société et des équipes, et la création d'un sentiment de camaraderie au sein des employés répartis sur plusieurs sites.

In education, school districts and universities worldwide appreciate Double for its ability to provide a way for remote or homebound students to attend school. Q There are 3 parts to the robot, correct? Ipad, Stake, and Wheels. How does each interconnect to each other? Does it use Linux? A There are two parts to Double: the iPad head and the base. They connect via Bluetooth and do not use Linux. Q How does the user control the robot? A Double can be navigated via our free iOS app using any iOS device, or any computer using the Google Chrome web browser. Simply log in to your account, select the Double you'd like to drive, and you're there. Q What is the general reaction by the public? A At first, as with most other new technology, people are sometimes skeptical or unsure about how Double can be beneficial. Once they hear about the unique use cases and how other companies and schools have deployed Double within their organizations, the general reaction is that of awe and excitement. Double is widely accepted as an excellent tool to bring distributed teams and classrooms together.

Côté éducation, les secteurs scolaires et les universités partout dans le monde apprécient Double parce qu'il fournit un moyen pour des étudiants au loin ou à mobilité réduite d'aller à l'école.

Q Le robot a trois parties, non ? Ipad, Stake et Wheels (les roues). Comment se fait l'interconnexion entre les trois ? Utilise-t-il Linux ?

R Double a deux parties : l'iPad pour la tête et la base. Ils interagissent via Bluetooth et n'utilisent pas Linux.

Q Comment l'utilisateur contrôle-t-il le robot ?

R Double se dirige avec notre appli iOS gratuit avec n'importe quel dispositif sous iOS, ou avec n'importe quel ordinateur utilisant le navigateur Google Chrome. Il suffit de vous connecter à votre compte et choisir le Double que vous aimeriez conduire. C'est tout.

Q Quelle est la réaction générale du publique ?

R Au départ, comme c'est le cas pour la plupart des nouvelles technologies, les gens sont parfois sceptiques ou incertaines concernant les bénéfices de Double. Une fois qu'ils entendent parler des cas uniques de son utilisations et de la façon dont d'autres sociétés et écoles ont déployé Double au sein de leurs organisations, la réaction générale comporte de l'émerveillement et de l'enthousiasme. Double est largement admis comme un outil formidable pour réunir des équipes et des salles de classe dispersées.

Q Where are your markets for sales? Europe? North America? A Our core market is North America, with Europe following close behind. Double is also available in Australia, Asia, and South America. Thank you for the interview, Susan. It is apparent these robots are becoming more mainstream. In my time, I have seen positive reactions from the college students. And yes, I even heard one young lady scream upon seeing Geoffrey-Allen’s robot. He fondly calls it Geetoo. Perhaps it is best to let Geoffrey-Allen impart his experience of being a telepresence robot owner. Q Why purchase a telepresence robot? A Telecommuting has many obvious advantages, you work in your home environment, you can wear your bunny slippers to meetings, and you save a lot of money on vehicle maintenance. However, telecommuting removes you from the office environment; you miss out on those in-between-the-meetings meetings. You can only form friendships with coworkers for the few moments before and after the video conference, or over Slack. It can be lonely being a telecommuter. I've worked full-time telecommute before, so I was aware of the limitations and I knew I needed a way to be present on campus. I researched several different telepresence options and found the Double 2 matched my needs.

Q Où vendez-vous le plus ? En Europe ? En Amérique du nord ?

R Notre marché principal est l'Amérique du nord ; l'Europe la suit de près. Double est également disponible en Australie, Asie et Amérique du sud.

Merci pour l'entretien, Susan.

Il est clair que ces robots deviennent de plus en plus généralisés. J'ai moi-même vu des réactions positives de la part d'étudiants à l'université. Et, oui, j'ai même entendu une jeune fille hurler à la vue du robot de Geoffrey-Allen. Il l'appelle affectueusement Geetoo. Il vaut mieux sans doute laisser à Geoffrey-Allen le soin de partager son expérience de propriétaire d'un robot de téléprésence.

Q Pour quelles raisons acheter un tel robot ?

R Le télétravail a beaucoup d'avantages évidents : vous travaillez chez vous, vous pouvez mettre des pantoufles pour vos réunions et vous économiser beaucoup d'argent sur la maintenance d'un véhicule. Cela étant dit, le télétravail vous enlève de l'environnement d'un bureau et vous manquez les réunions informelles entre les réunions. Des amitiés ne peuvent se créer avec des collègues pendant quelques minutes avant et après une conférence vidéo ou sur Slack. Les télétravailleurs peuvent se sentir isolés. J'ai fait du télétravail à temps plein auparavant et j'étais donc conscient de ses limitations. Je savais que je devais trouver une façon d'être présent sur le campus. J'ai fait des recherches sur diverses options de téléprésence et j'ai conclus que le Double 2 répondrait à mes besoins.

Q What was your career like before the robot? After? Has it improved your overall job satisfaction? A When your only interaction with coworkers is a large monitor stuck to a wall, it's awkward. For example, the video conference software we use allows the host to screen-share or show their local camera, so you lose the video of the conference room and see only their presentation. When this happens, it strips away all the visual cues from the people around the table, and you can't read the feeling in the room. With the robot, I'm sitting in the room with everyone, and I can see that the boss had checked-out and started checking his email. Another time the robot has helped was when I needed to consult on a problem in an office where there wasn't a teleconference node, or web camera, or even a telephone, and the problem was so complex that I just had to see the process so I could devise a solution. So, using the robot at work has given me a freedom I didn't realise I was missing. I have coworker interaction I never had in other telecommute environments; I get invited to go to work events, parties and continuing education training that I would never have been able to attend without the robot. I even attended a national medical conference with the Institute via robot, something I would never have been able to do without my robot. Q What are the most common challenges of owning this robot? A I was worried that the biggest challenge would be acceptance of my co-workers to having a robot in their midst. Turns out the biggest issue I face, is with the campus Wifi network. We have good coverage in the areas where I roll around, but the authentication scheme on campus causes the iPad to fall off the network. When that happens, someone has to rescue the robot and reconnect me to the Wifi. After the network issues, I think opening doors, and turning lights on or off, are the only other problems I face on a daily basis. People are generally very kind and are happy to hold a door for me to roll through, but sometimes they mistake me for a signpost and hurry past.

Q How reliable is it? A Wifi issues aside, and that's a problem we have because of the campus network, when we're not on campus, the Wifi issues don't exist, the system is extremely reliable. The only other problems we've encountered were with the iPad and iOS updates, not the robot. Q Are you concerned about hacking? A I am not. The connection from the robot to my computer is encrypted, and the robot driver website uses HTTPS. I still cover my camera lens and mute my microphone when I'm offline, but I think everyone does that now. Q Is the robot totally self-sufficient or does it need on-site maintenance? A I have a charger dock, so at the end of the day, I roll into my cubicle… Q Wait, did you say “your cubicle?” A Yes. My coworkers decided I needed an office on campus, so they got a cubicle wall and put it up in the lab. I even have a nameplate and decorations on the wall. I don't have a desk or guest chairs, but I do have my charger. So at the end of the day, I roll into my cubicle and dock the robot which charges the robot and the iPad. I get a full day's use out of a single charge, if I turn down the brightness on the iPad; otherwise I get about five hours before I start worrying. So daily maintenance is simple, iOS updates to the iPad or firmware updates to the robot do require someone local to the robot to poke at the tablet.

Q Can you provide a picture of you next to it? A Sure thing, here are two. One (shown right) is with me standing next to the robot and the other (shown previously) shows the robot in the Institute. The robot's height is adjustable, and in both of these pictures, it is at the lowest setting. This lower setting is the height I normally stay at when moving around, but when I stop to talk to people, I increase the height. It feels more natural for people to talk to me, I think. Q Can you provide a picture of the interface that you use to control it? A This is a picture of my desk. I use a multiple monitor setup, and, rather than mount my webcam over the top of my monitors, I stuck it between the two. This lets me look straight ahead into the camera when driving and interacting with people. It's a little more natural feeling for both sides of the conversation, in fact I often forget I'm sitting in a home office nine-hundred miles away with a webcam staring at me, it feels like I'm really there on campus. I use a Bluetooth bone conductive headphone and a high-quality condensor microphone, and you can see them there on my desk, these really help the sound quality on both ends of the conversation.

The interface runs in a web browser, I prefer Chrome, but it runs in all the major browsers. This is how it looks before you log in to the robot. The map shows where the robot is located and several dashboard statuses like battery level and if the iPad is communicating with the robot. When you log in, the middle of the screen shows the view from the camera on the robot, a view of what is displayed to people talking to the robot, just like most other video chat windows, and a view straight down of the robot’s foot or base. That last view is really helpful when docking in the charger or navigating around chairs and cables in offices. Up top, you can see your controls to disconnect the call, battery status, a button to park the robot, so it doesn't have to balance itself, then other controls to share your local screen on the robot’s iPad, and to take a picture from the robot’s camera. Q How long is the delay between your commands on the interface to the robot? A The response time is pretty good, I don't think we would win any robot battles, but for moving around the campus, it's a respectable less than one second. When I started driving the robot around I found myself reacting to movement with rapid twitch gamer moves, that resulted in some unexpected quick turns, but it did not take long to reprogram my hand-eye coordination.

Q Has this robot been offsite? If so where? Any pictures? A Yes it has! I was able to attend a conference in Colorado, even worked shifts in a booth with my coworkers. They gave me a conference badge, and put a tee-shirt on the robot, it was a lot of fun. The response from other attendees was fantastic, I was in a lot of selfies, but most people who stopped to talk to me were very interested in how I used the robot for work. I wasn't just a walking billboard, I also ran the social media accounts for the Research Network. The Robot can take pretty good pictures and working from home let me process and post to the various social media accounts much easier than trying to do it from your phone or perched on a stool with your laptop. Q How did you travel? A The robot has a custom case. Everything breaks down fairly easily, I think it only has one screw to remove, it took my coworker about five minutes to disassemble and pack. It took about the same amount of time to reassemble on the other end. The case has flown in airplanes, ridden in the back of a van, and once was shipped via a courier delivery service. Q So what do you do at the Institute? A My official title is Data Manager, and while I do help organize and maintain the data collections, I work primarily as a knowledge wrangler and Data Engineer. I develop storage warehouses, write code, create task automation, and try to help our researchers and students find more efficient ways to gather, process, preserve, and disseminate their data. Thank you for your time for this interview. I hope these interviews illuminate the new phenomena of telepresence robots. The new dynamic changes ushered in from this new technology will be interesting. It has the chance to empower more individuals in the workplace.