Anybots, anywhere. Anyway...
More robot news from CES. This quite sinister looking character caught our eye on the first day of the show, and was causing something of a commotion - a film crew, several photographers and the generally curious were clamouring to see this human-sized robot wheeling around the floor.
It's called the QA, and is described as a 'telepresence robot' from Anybots. The idea is that it allows you to be in two places at once - with still and video cameras, audio, a colour display and full navigation functionality, the QA 'allows you to see and be seen, talk and listen, to collaborate in ways and places never before possible'.
Really, it's pitched at the business market. So, an employer might be able to wander around the factory floor, even when he's out of the country. Your boss might appear in your office to take part in a presentation, even though she's working from home. But has Anybots fallen foul of the all-to-common tendency to create something brand new, rather than something useful?
Perhaps the question is more significant given the current financial climate. Is a company going to spend what we presume to be a great deal of money on this robot, when we're already extremely well-connected to the world thanks to our laptops and mobiles? Sure, the QA frees you from your desk and the computer screen... but in many environments where the QA would be handy, there'll most likely be a computer nearby anyway.
It's eye-catching, and it's different. But is it anything more than a novelty? It surely won't be long before mobile phones can offer everything that the QA promises (except for the physical presence, which is arguably more cumbersome than necessary in our digital world). It's a shame, because imagination is a great thing - but its even better when it can actually change the real world for the better.