>From: "Emlyn (pentacle)" <pentacle@enternet.com.au>
>
>Zero:
> > Seems a little strange to me too. For my money I'd much rather
> > teleconference. For me, the only reason to face-to-face with clients is
>to
> > enhance interpersonal relationships (its hard to buy somebody a drink
>via
> > teleconference link). That goal would hardly be helped by sending a
> > stranger wearing a cell phone ear-plug and a VR headset.
>
>I find teleconferences are a really poor medium for interpersonal
>communication, especially if it involves building trust, and such things as
>initial brainstorming sessions, design, stuff where the parties involved
>need to make something up from nothing/not much, and do not as yet share a
>cohesive vision regarding whatever it is that they are embarking on. Also,
>doing job interviews by teleconference is really, really awful.
<snip>
>Personally I think the robots would do better, but as has been said, the
>technology isn't quite up to it. That said, remember that this is not a
>robot which must work on its own; it has a dedicated human pulling the
>strings, so the job of control is simplified immensely. Not, I think, down
>to the level where it is actually currently practical, but perhaps close.
>Most important I think is high speed wireless communications. The same kind
>of links that will make net-connected wearable computing work might also
>make the remote robot body a possibility.
Well now you're talking a whole 'nother (as yet unfeasible) ball game. I'd
be all in for a telepresence robot that would feed its "sensations" to me
and relay my thoughts/actions to a remote location. At that point I can
hook up and never leave the house again (except for occasional outings for
biking 'round the local mountains). At that point I'll buy *several* of
your telebots. One or two for business, one or two for terrestrial travels
and at least a couple for tooling 'round the solar system.
-Zero
"I like dreams of the future better than the history of the past"
--Thomas Jefferson
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