Polycom RealPresence in the new Anybots Q(X) Virtual Presence

Last week I was invited to Polycom’s annual Holiday event where the Anybots Q(X) Virtual Presence was shown for the first time. We all remember Anybots cute QB robot that featured a very small display and 2 big “eyes” where the camera was hidden.

The new Q(X) is going away from the human-like shape and features a relatively austere form factor; however we can appreciate the large display that delivers a better telecommunication experience. Anybots partnered with Polycom to integrate its RealPresence Group 500 video conferencing solution in a metallic gray flat panel on wheels (see photo in the complete article, wheels are not visible).

David Rogan, CEO, Anybots (on the right in the photo), showed me a demo of the Q(x)’s video conferencing capabilities in a rather noisy restaurant: the display on the device was streaming the video  captured by a laptop placed at the opposite side of the room, which was also playing the video captured by the Q(X) – see images below.

The expansion features include three display configurations (not in the same device, 3 different models) Single Landscape (in our photo), Dual Landscape, and Single Portrait, bridge router bay with power and network for enterprise-specified WiFi authentication, expansion  bay for application-specific equipment and power/network. According to the company, the large wheels allow the Q(X) to traverse rough terrain with ease at 3.5 MPH (5.0 Km/h) and it can be easily controlled remotely via your browser suing active sensors on board.

Above the display, you can see two cameras, the one on the right is HD 720p and the on the left is Full HD 1080p, and it can be switched depending on which image quality you need to display.

On the middle section of the Q(X) there is a Polycom microphone.  There is one speaker behind each grid you see on the picture. The speakers are powered by a third party audio board. Just below the microphone, under the metallic cover, is a LIDAR device that enables assisted steering and object detection. The manufacturer of the LIDAR is Hokuyo.

On the lower part of the front panel, you can see a down camera to help navigate in close quarters, avoid obstacles, and to help assist in docking into a charging station on the floor.

The Anybots Q(X) as a size comparable to a human being.

Eliane Fiolet
Categories: Events, Featured, Photo-Video, Robots
Tags: Robot, telepresence