telepresence

Engadget wrote about the Looj, we told you about the ConnectR, and now the folks at Roomba Review seem to have captured iRobot prematurely updating their website with the two products. The iRobot page, now long gone, described the ConnectR as a "virtual visiting robot", making it sound more like a telepresence robot. The Looj was described as capable of cleaning 'an 80-foot section of gutter in just 10 minutes' of standard 'K-style, aluminum, copper, metal or vinyl gutters.'

Yeah, we were a little pissed about the iRobot Looj, but it's only because we expected more innovation from iRobot. Today, we may have found the name and brief description of the second robot that iRobot is due to debut at Digital Life: the iRobot Connectr. The company filed a trademark for Connectr a week ago on Sep 5 for "robots for video and audio monitoring, surveillance, and communication". It sounds like a spy robot for military or police use but it could be a telepresence robot too, a Spykee of sorts?

Spykee is the third robot to make a foray into the US market joining Pleo and i-SOBOT in time for the holiday season. Spykee comes equipped with Wifi allowing it to be controlled remotely via the Internet. Since it's also equipped with a microphone, camera and speaker, the robot acts as a telepresence device allowing you to teleconference with the family while you are away from home (see video below). The fun doesn't stop there. The robot can act as a sentry, using motion sensors to catch little Molly "sleep walking" towards the cookie jar, sound an alarm and take a photo of her red-handed, hands in jar and mouth smeared with cookie dough. Finally, Spykee can pull a Roomba and can automatically navigate to its dock for recharging. Spykee is made by Mecanno, a French Company, but sold in the US under the Erector brand. It's currently available for pre-order on ... continued

Combining wireless internet connection, webcam, microphone, LCD display, motorized platform, and client control software, the Giraffe is a standalone video conferencing robot with enhanced mobility. ... continued