Frequently Asked Questions

A telepresence robot is a computer, tablet, or smartphone-controlled robot which allows those who engage with the robot to view and hear the robot’s operator while the operator can view what the robot is “looking” at, as well as hear sound at the robot’s location.  In short, a telepresence robot provides you with a remote presence; short of touching items, you are ‘on location’ whenever and nearly wherever you wish to be.

Telepresence robots have often been referred to as “skype on wheels.”  However, telepresence robots (also known as virtual presence robots or remote presence robots) are much more.  For example, instead of having a static view of participants (as with skype and other video conferencing applications), the controller of the robot is able to control what they wish to see, as opposed to needing someone to point a camera at a particular person.  Many telepresence robots come equipped with such features as laser pointers, zoom capabilities, and autonomous driving for enhanced communication and convenience.  With this total control of the robots, users can view and interact with remote environments, whether hospitals or homes for the elderly, manufacturing plants or warehouses, provided the robot is turned on and retains an internet connection, saving themselves large quantities of time, and hundreds or thousands of dollars in travel expenses.

The remote presence capabilities provided by telepresence robots enables surgeons to assist peers at different locations across the globe, business owners to view store or warehouse setups or assembly line processes, sick children to attend classes and interact with their classmates, doctors to interact with patients while not on location, and even something as simple as allowing grandparents to watch their grandchildren while they play, miles away.

For a more detailed explanation, feel free to click here before viewing the telepresence robots for yourself.

Visit our Robots page to find telepresence robot pictures, videos, features, and all the other information you need to make the most informed decision for purchasing a telepresence robot for your hospital, business, or home.  Additionally, you may view the Reviews page on our site to learn what experiences other users of telepresence robots have had or to create your own review to help others in their own decision making.

There are many features which telepresence robots of all types share, whether they are robots used in the home, office, school, or hospital. One of the more common features is HD video resolution for the robot’s video screen so the user(s) of the robot will appear clearly to those interacting with the robot. Other features include:

– HD cameras

– Auto-docking (e.g. drive the robot to within a few feet of the dock and click a button to make the robot dock itself)

– Zoom capabilities

– Ability to raise/lower volume and speed of the telepresence robot

– Ability to swivel/tilt the head (or camera itself) of the robot

– Crash avoidance features (either obstacle detection and/or avoidance, or through the use of a downward facing camera).  Some robots have a “360 degree” camera which shows all of the area around the base, so you can see in all directions around you.

Different types of robots may have great variance concerning many of their features. Telemedicine robots, more commonly referred to as medical telepresence robots, have a distinct set of features. For example, they are capable of plugging into medical systems to monitor patient information, such as vital signs and patient history, and transmit that information to hospital staff and surgeons so they can view patient information on the same screen with their video conference with the patient or hospital staff. Additionally, medical telepresence robots and business telepresence robots may share such features as laser pointers and autonomous navigation. Autonomout navigation is linked to mapping technology, where a telepresence robot is programmed with the layout of a building and, upon clicking on a specific location, the robot will navigate to that location without any assistance from the robot operator.  Usually, you can remain in a video call while the robot moves, leaving your hands free to type or write while the robot drives for you. 

A full list of features can be found on our robots page.

You may be familiar with a very short, glib response to the question, which says, “Telepresence robots do not need to be HIPAA compliant.” However, the full answer is more complex.  If you are familiar with HIPAA, you can fast-forward to the second paragraph.  For those who are unaware of the term, HIPAA stands for “Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act,” a public law enacted in 1996 and since revised.  In general, it is an act which sets federal standards for electronic health care transactions and the security and privacy of certain health information. Within this act, the HIPAA Privacy Rule maintains the privacy of individually identifiable health information.  Related to this is the rule more germain to the issue of using telepresence robotics within the medical field, the Security Rule, which focuses on the protection of any individually identifiable health information that a covered entity uses in electronic form.  As the U.S. Department of Health and Services states, that information is called “electronic protected health information.”  Covered entities affected by this are 1) a health plan, 2) a health care clearinghouse, and 3) a health care provider who transmits or maintains health information in electronic form.  For more information on the act and what information is protected by this section of the act, you may visit the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services’ (HHS) page by clicking here.  As fair warning, the articles are very dense and the language bordering on verbosity.  Many will say our use of the word “bordering” shoots far short of the mark. However, it may suffice to say that HIPAA, in general, aims to protect the confidentiality and security of your health care information.

As alluded to above, the question of whether a telepresence robot needs to be HIPAA compliant is moot.  In response to our query, the Office for Civil Rights and HHS stated, “we do not endorse any materials or systems as ‘HIPAA compliant.’”  Therefore, while manufacturers need not list their telepresence robots as having HIPAA compliance, the covered entity (as mentioned above) must ensure that any data transmission using the robot is secured according to HIPAA standards, whether that transmission includes the creation, sending, or receiving of protected information.  This includes transmission such as that achieved via the internet, extranet, private networks, and the physical movement of transportable electronic storage media, etc. An additional item to keep in mind is that, as Section 16 Part 103 of the act states, voice and video transmissions are not considered to be “transmissions via electronic media, because the information exchanged did not exist in electronic form before the transmission.”

The covered entity which employs the use of the telepresence robot is responsible for complying with HIPAA standards for all transmissions via the internet network(s) used and for complying with the standards regarding any data applications used with the robot.  For example, some robots include applications where a physician can view patient information, vital records, CT scans, etc. while simultaneously interacting with the patient visually and verbally.

While in most cases the security features (such as the encryption of data) used within applications for the telepresence robotsshould be enough to satisfy requirements, we advise contacting the robot manufacturer directly to ask which application is necessary to control the robot, to utilize additional features such as sending of written data or x-rays, etc., and if those applications are properly secured and protected in accordance with HIPAA regulations. For providers interested in telemedicine, or who are already utilizing telepresence robots within their medical clinics or hospitals, ensuring that the robot’s applications allow for you to continue in compliance with HIPAA will certainly be vital.   

We at TelepresenceRobots.com hope this answer is both helpful and sufficient.  However, we are aware that, with the goal of being concise and helpful to visitors who are not fluent in legalese, the answer may not be as detailed as creators of the act would wish.  With that said, please refer to the US. Department of Health and Human Services for more information on HIPAA, or to see if your entity is covered by the HIPAA Security Rule, or to see if your entity is in alignment with HIPAA standards.  Section 164 Part 306, in particular, may be of great assistance in determining what responsibilities you have as a provider using a telepresence robot.

Feel free to leave any comments, concerns, or questions with us by using the Contact Us section of our website, which is located in the footer at the bottom of each page, or by clicking here.