Ever wonder what it would be like to have your mind enter a machine’s body? Well I had that experience recently. After recuperating from some health issues, I am still not able to travel. When I expressed to my colleagues that I really wanted to attend CompTIA’s strategy planning meeting at our HQ in Chicago, one suggested I try out the CompTIA robot. Robot? Are you kidding? Well I must say; the experience was surprisingly positive.
Is this the next big thing in remote technology for business? Think about the many applications. CompTIA has invested in a machine from Double Robotics that takes your virtual presence and installs it in a robot body that you control. So from my home office in Florida, I could drive the robot around the office; catch up on water cooler conversation; and participate in meetings right alongside my colleagues. It takes a bit of getting used to, but once you master the controls, you’re out and about and collaborating as though you’re right there.
So how did co-workers view the experience? Response varied. Some were very engaged with virtual Annette, smiling and stopping to chat or just say hello. Others, not so much. Apparently some find it creepy! Sitting in room for over five hours will make just about anyone cringe, but when a robot is sitting next to you, that idle chit chat is gone. A couple times, the robot scared colleagues. In one instance, I was sitting in the front of the room to get a closer view of the presentation and the presenter was standing in front of me. Without realizing it, she jumped back and said, “Oh, I didn’t see ‘that’ was there, I’ll just move over to this side of the screen.” So, depending on the person, you could see various reactions to implementing this technology.
Wondering what the ease of movement was like? Not only did I pull myself away from the docking station (electric outlet) and drive over to the main conference room, I pulled myself up to a U-shaped conference table packed with about 30 staff members and didn’t take up a stitch of table space. As folks were speaking, I was able to move my iPad head right and left and up and down to follow the conversation and view the presentation on the screen. I’ll admit we did have a little technical difficulty trying to find the mute button on my end, but with help from our CTO via instant messaging and aided by the colleague sitting to my right, we finally got virtual Annette silenced so she could type.
Overall, the experience was really productive and fun. It allowed me to participate in a way that regular video conferencing just could not replicate.
Annette Taber is vice president of channel strategies at CompTIA. She can be reached at ataber@comptia.org.
