An interesting find at Interaction 2011, was from a research group from Keio University who demonstrated Teroos; a shoulder-mounted avatar for telecommunication. Video chats have definitely brought people closer, but with Teroos; you have the possibility of doing much more. With this system, anyone who’s going out carries an avatar on their shoulder, while the other person can operate the avatar to look around freely. This means an experience just like shopping or a date with friends across continents! The robot comes equipped with a camera, mic, and speaker, and can move its head through six degrees of freedom. The speaker is directional, so communication remains private, with Teroos whispering into your ears, while the camera operates within the wearer’s field of view, so the two people can communicate as if they’re always together.

The avatar’s expression can be modified, so you can communicate all sorts of feelings to people around the wearer. Communication to move the robot is done by sending information to a smartphone, which is then passed to the microcontroller via Bluetooth. Audiovisual communication is done through Skype. This could also mean the return of long-distance relationships, if that’s a good thing!!


[DigInfo]