The product readily associated with iRobot is the Roomba, but it should be noted the founders of the company, Rodney Brooks, Colin Angle and Helen Greiner, worked at the MIT Artificial Intelligence Lab before establishing the company. In addition to vacuum cleaners, iRobot makes robotic units for research and the medical field, as well as essential lifesaving gear for the military. The latest robot solution from the company will be making rounds in corporate settings to simplify videoconference calls between colleagues within the same or remote locations.
The Ava 500 – short for avatar – is an autonomous wheeled robot that traverses the space of an organization with a high definition monitor and Cisco's telepresence.
Implementing Cisco's telepresence allows the Ava 500 to optimize human resources throughout an organization for driving innovation, collaboration and saving considerable amount of resources used for the expense associated with travel.
"iRobot is excited to work with Cisco to bring this next generation of telepresence to businesses worldwide. iRobot has been successful in introducing autonomous remote presence platforms to hospitals. Ava 500 will unlock new markets and applications for telepresence in the workplace," said Youssef Saleh, vice president and general manager of iRobot’s Remote Presence business unit.
The Ava mobile robotics platform can be designed as a third-party development for many different applications with an autonomous navigation capability, which allows it to be integrated in complex real-world environments. The standard platform can be adapted with different tools and applications depending on the task that is required.
The standard specification provides:
- Autonomous Navigation Capabilities – allows it to navigate to its destination while avoiding different obstacles including people
- Localizing and Mapping – has an advanced sensor suite which includes 3-D, laser and sonar so it can map its own environment automatically
- Payload – it can support third-party developed hardware to customize the unit with sensors, phones, tablets, displays and other options
- User Interface and software application flexibility – the user interface includes touch, voice, gesture, person-following, devices, etc., and the Open API uses HTTP, Aware 2 software, etc.
- Charging – autonomous recharging on charging station
The Ava 500 is designed specifically for the enterprise market for remote team collaboration, executive management, tours and inspections, and remote corporate training/presentations. However, the company has a different version that is being introduced to hospitals, and it hopes the price point will come down low enough so it can be available for individual applications. One of the most promising uses is providing the units for senior citizens so it can provide assistance for independent living.
