Telepresence technology, or your mother, both here and there.

October 10, 2020

 With the help of telepresence technology, the user can get a complete impression of a place where he is not now. Sounds fantastic, doesn't it? However, due to the efforts of technical progress, this fantasy is becoming a reality.


So what is telepresence?

Imagine that several people are gathered to talk in one room at once. Now imagine that each of them is physically far from each other. Such video conferencing sessions are directly related to telepresence technology.



The difference from virtual reality is that in the first case there is an interaction with a computer, and in telepresence - with the real world.


So let's say with the real world of technology.


For the first time, a description of such technologies under the name "teletaxy"

appeared in the philosophical and futurological treatise "The Sum of Technology" by

Stanislav Lem. Also, this principle was explained in his science fiction

novel "Peace on Earth".


Telepresence technologies

All the senses of the technology are not yet pulled, but the more there are, the more convincing the effect will be.


Video

Surely the first thing you thought of was Skype or another video calling device. But this is not exactly what telepresence means.


You turn your head, look around, lift your eyes up and look under your feet - and you see everything that is in some place far from you. You change your point of view, and the angle adjusts to you, unlike a static monitor screen.


The visual component can be realized using large spherical screens or, conversely, small displays fixed in front of the eyes. The device tracks the movement of your eyes and head, repeats them at a distant site, and then sends you a response in real time tracking work from home.


Sound

The transmission of sound at a distance is much easier to implement. But here, too, there are some nuances: not every sound transmission device is suitable.


The best solution would be to use stereo sound - a kind of illusion of sound perspective while maintaining direction to different sound sources. Roughly speaking, you do not just hear that water is dripping somewhere, but you understand that it is dripping from the ceiling in the left corner of the room.


Manipulation

One of the most technically challenging elements of telepresence. For example, the movements of your hands and fingers can be read by special ultra-sensitive gloves, and then transmitted and reproduced at a distance with maximum accuracy. The more accurately the device can reproduce these tangential sensations, the stronger the effect will be.


Research rovers operate on principles similar to telepresence. For example, the Curiosity rover moves across the red planet and transmits data recorded on its surface to NASA.


What is telepresence for?

The most common use of telepresence technologies today is video conferencing sessions. Indispensable in situations where it is necessary to hold a meeting in real time and with the maximum effect of presence:



The organization of such communication sessions requires large financial costs. It is for this reason that currently there are no full-fledged systems that could provide this effect in full. Despite all the prospects of the sphere, only a few manufacturers in the world are engaged in developments in this direction. To be fair, it should be noted that the effect of telepresence is not limited to technology. For example, some telepresence manufacturers require that the communication rooms be identical from size to wall color.


Ideally, thanks to the effect of telepresence, it will be possible to control mechanisms, visit patients, engage in research at great depths and other dangerous or hard-to-reach places. What is scientific research! Even just hugging relatives and friends at a distance will be good.

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