This is really amazing, but I'd throw in an oculus rift for a true out of body experience.
What it feels like being an iPad on a stick on wheels
11–20 of 29 posts
Re: What it feels like being an iPad on a stick on wheels
#12The Economist had a similar article recently:
http://www.economist.com/news/technology-quarterly/21590763-...
Re: What it feels like being an iPad on a stick on wheels
#13Jokes aside, it's quite interesting to think about how close to an in-person experience this (or similar) can get you. For example body-language. I get quite animated when getting in to a technical discussion - how would that feel in this case?
There's been research into this regarding teleconferencing and "shared room" video. Remember reading about how eye-contact, for example, was an issue.
Re: What it feels like being an iPad on a stick on wheels
#14It sounds like a significant hindrance is picking out voices in crowds, and making one's own voice heard in the crowd, as a result of the poor microphone / speakers on the iPad.
With the great big self-balancing stick peripheral, it's a wonder that they've not thought to attach a pair of microphones with binaural software onto the double (so you can hear if someone is talking behind you, to the right, etc). Then the user at the other end could put on some headphones and pick up everything that's going on around them. Binaural audio feedback also greatly enhances immersion.
Surely a slightly larger / louder speaker wouldn't cost too much either?
Re: What it feels like being an iPad on a stick on wheels
#15This is really amazing, but I'd throw in an oculus rift for a true out of body experience.
It would be a trade-off. It would be more immersible for you, but less for everyone else, as your only only human appearance (your face) would be obscured.
Longer term solution: Your presented face would be computer animated.
Re: What it feels like being an iPad on a stick on wheels
#16Stephen Colbert took the Double for a spin a few days ago:
http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/43094...
Re: What it feels like being an iPad on a stick on wheels
#17I'm in the "I want to believe" category when it comes to distributed teams, mainly because technology is far more social than technical. But so many people want to work at the beach in their pajamas, there's gotta be a way forward. So I'm rooting for this tech.
Sounds like we need at a minimum: 1) ability to get up off floor on your own, 2) ability to find an outlet and charge on your own, 3) better microphone and conversation discrimination, and 4) some way of having "eye" contact
I'dd add for bonus points: 1) some kind of peripheral vision, 2) ability to wave arms around to get attention and demonstrate crude body language, 3) ability to grasp and manipulate things in some kind of fashion resembling a hand.
So there's still a ways to go. Bummer.
Re: What it feels like being an iPad on a stick on wheels
#18This is really amazing, but I'd throw in an oculus rift for a true out of body experience.
It would be a trade-off. It would be more immersible for you, but less for everyone else, as your only only human appearance (your face) would be obscured. Longer term solution: Your presented face would be computer animated.
Uncanny valley, here we come. Studies have shown that people are more at ease around a robot that tries to look like a cute humanoid robot, rather than a near-human but not quite construct.
Replacing the video feed of a person's face with a computer generated, almost-their-face-but-not-quite simulacrum sounds like it'd heavily increase user nightmare rates.
Re: What it feels like being an iPad on a stick on wheels
#19Why does this remind me of an episode of the 'Big Bang Theory'?
Ha that's exactly what I thought when I saw this. The Double is a much nicer version than Sheldon's though!
Re: What it feels like being an iPad on a stick on wheels
#20This is really amazing, but I'd throw in an oculus rift for a true out of body experience.
It would be a trade-off. It would be more immersible for you, but less for everyone else, as your only only human appearance (your face) would be obscured. Longer term solution: Your presented face would be computer animated.
So the proper solution is to sit in the middle of a multi-screen panopticon and use multiple cameras on the telepresence device. People looking at the front of you would "see" you face left to look at something to the left, for example. You'd still have to turn the machine to face people properly if you wanted to make "eye contact".
Headphones would probably be a big help though.