What features are offered?

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 and comparison pages.