Aug

26

Telepresence: What is it?

August 26, 2007 | |

My mind is on telepresence at the moment. I’ve given a couple of presentations on the topic and am currently writing an article for Strategic Path. Telepresence has moved out of the laboratory (and science fiction) and onto a screen near you.

The problem seems to be in defining telepresence. At the recent Telepresence World there were a variety of definitions - each one corresponding to the products being developed by the companies represented. As always - I go to Wikipedia where they say:

Telepresence refers to a set of technologies which allow a person to to feel as if they were present, to give the appearance that they were present, or to have an effect, at a location other than their true location.

The major players in the field at the moment are Cisco, Polycom, TANDBERG & HP and telepresence seems to be defined as some sort of videoconferencing on steroids.

At the Cisco Telepresence page you can read about their thoughts, products and watch a video. They say:

Cisco TelePresence is a new technology that combines rich audio, high-definition video, and interactive elements to deliver a unique in-person experience—over the network.polycom-telepresence-small.jpg

At Polycom, watch their demo (top R-hand box) and see their:

Truly immersive experience combining telepresence with HD voice, video and content sharing.

The picture to the side is of the Polycom telepresence solution.

At TANDBERG they claim:

TANDBERG Telepresence creates the most realistic in-person meeting experience and provides an ideal platform for communication and interaction.hp-bireality.gif

HP have gone really ‘out there’ with their BiReality which is a robot like creature that has a videoconference screen as its head.

This robot walks around the office & people can talk to the person who is connected via videoconference ie the head. The picture to the side is of the HP BiReality solution.

Watch the HP BiReality video

While I think these are excellent solutions - the question is “Do we need to see the real person for telepresence to be achieved?” I think not. I believe that telepresence will ultimately be more than this and will move into the virtual world.

Expect more on this topic - I’ve started a category for it.


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1 Comment so far

  1.    Seth Borus on August 28, 2007 11:39 am

    Dear Carol; As a provider of Cisco TelePresence and Tandberg Experia I enjoyed your article and agree with you on many points.
    As an eternal student; we must define Telepresence and first break it down; Tele; and Presence; Tele; as is a phone call; one can say that all forms of telepresence are like joining one linked global phone call where we can see and share expressions. The second; Presence; referrers to all forms of communications; body language; expressions; hand gestures; speech; and eye contact. So put them both together and you have the next best thing to being face to face. My personal experience; is that Telepresence comes down to three things; collaboration; efficiencies; and productivity. But as with IPT; it is going to take some time in the market place with adaption. I am not an expert; but I am feet on the street and hear what people are saying; “Love it; but it is expensive!” True; but; one must define what a call and an improved relationship and speed to resolution is worth to an organization? If you are a global organization; with executives who travel a lot and are looking for a more effective way of communication then; telepresence is for you. I see TelePresence becoming part of our everyday lives; in all aspects; not just work in the very near future.

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