If you happen to be at Macworld/iWorld 2013 which is happening at San Francisco, surely one of the “stars” on parade there would be the Double, which is basically a telepresence robot which relies on an iPad to function as its eyes and ears. The Double hails from Double Robotics of Sunnyvale, where it will rely on a 2nd or 3rd generation iPad (which you will need to provide yourself, of course) that has been mounted on top of a slim pole which itself is attached to another gizmo at the bottom, namely motorized wheels that perform the self-balancing act brilliantly.
The Double will tip the scales at 15-pounds, and it can be directed left, right, backward and forward from an iPhone, although we would not stop you if you have a spare iPad on hand to get the job done as well. Alternatively, there is another way to control it from a website, as long as there is a decent Internet connection in place. In a nutshell, the Double lives up to its name, being a virtual “you” at places and times where you are physically unable to be there.
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