Telepresence

Unless you're some boring, unimaginative schmuck, chances are you've sometimes wondered what the world looks like from a tiny creature's point of view. Well, the Goby robot will show you, as you remotely control it via a simple online dashboard.

When it comes down to it, most telepresence robots are just remote-control tablets that can be steered around a room. The VRoxy system is different in that its robot replicates the user's movements, plus it auto-pilots itself to different locations.

We first heard about the iCub humanoid robot in 2011, when it was nominated to take part in the Olympic Torch Relay. The latest and greatest version, the iCub 3, was the star of a recently-announced (and pretty impressive) telepresence demonstration.

The new technologies Honda plans to pursue in the coming decades include an eVTOL for inter-city transport, a robot that will act as an avatar for users to perform tasks remotely, and a renewable energy system for the Moon.

Earlier this year, we heard about a pet-entertaining/treat-dispensing robot known as Pumpkii. Although its crowdfunding campaign was cancelled, the similar Rocki is now available for purchase.

If your job involves sending TV crews around the country to shoot interviews in people's homes or workplaces, you'll know that the current pandemic has made such tasks very difficult. That's where Crew in a Box is designed to come in.

Useful as they are, telepresence robots can be prohibitively expensive. The Smartipresence cuts the price of entry into the telepresence world right down by making use of the ubiquitous smartphone and cardboard.

Although the showbiz industry still is centralized in places like Hollywood, it's becoming less and less so as technology advances. That's where Solo Cinebot comes in, as it's a robotic camera system that can be operated over the internet.

​You might think that most new robots are designed to head off into factories or other workplaces, but the fact is that many of them are made to be used by robotics developers. That's the case with EVE r3, although its successor may find use in applications such as home care for the elderly.

​Although telepresence robots do allow remotely-located users to move about an environment, and to see and hear what's going on there, they don't actually let those users perform physical tasks. The Origibot2 does do so, however, as it's equipped with an arm and gripper.

We've seen remote-controlled cubes, balls and other gadgets that let people "telesocialize" with their pets via the internet. The latest such device, the Anthouse, takes the form of a little tank-like robot.

Double Robotics has launched the latest iteration of its video-equipped robots. The firm now caters for 360-degree video, with a 360 Camera Dolly and an accompanying Universal 360 Camera Mount.​