Robot from Double Robotics: tested in humans

Now you will not surprise anyone with video communication - users can contact visually, with the help of dozens of applications. But today at Geek to the Future, we’ll tell you about something truly futuristic ...

It is not known for certain who first suggested combining the iPad, video calling and ... wheels - but the Double robot - or in Russian "double" - from the Double Robotics company, in fact, implements this very idea. If you want not only to communicate with someone, but also, for example, to be virtually next to the interlocutor - “double” is the best tool.

In 20 years they will laugh at these robots - by the time some avatars or surrogates will probably appear, but today this strange combination of a cylinder, a stick and a screen looks quite technologically advanced .
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The developers at Double Robotics did not reinvent their brainchild from scratch, but decided to build on existing models: American VGo, iRobot Ava, Anybots QB, French Gostai Jazz, Russian P-BOT and WeBot - all of them belong to the so-called telepresence robots that allow you located in two places at once. Thanks to modern technology, Double is cheaper than its counterparts. And it can be considered affordable. Well, relatively affordable.



We can argue that despite the explanation, you still vaguely understand who can use this ipad on wheels. Well, imagine the situation: a large office, the general director flew away on a business trip to distant lands ... How is it in the saying? Cat out of the house, the mouse in the dance But this is if Gender does not have a “double” - and after all, at any moment he may come to check with the accounting department, then to the smoking room, etc. And the usual teleconference with the same director will be more vigorous: the use of “double” is very different from a Skype session - after all, the chef can “turn his head” at any moment and see what the office workers are doing there.



Next - learning. Are you sick, but would you like to miss the lecture of your favorite teacher? Once again, “double” can help you out. Visit the Louvre or the Prado, without leaving the apartment - please.

Well, the developers constantly say that you should unleash the imagination and then Double will find another 1000 and 1 uses.



And now let's get acquainted with the “Double” closer. "It looks like they did to Apple" - such a comparison, of course, sounds like a compliment to developers from Double Robotics. Simple shapes, no unnecessary details - practicality triumphs. "Double" consists of three parts. The “head” of the robot is a fairly durable case into which a regular iPad is inserted (except for the first generation and mini series; for iPad Air, a special adapter is needed - in the latest Double versions it comes bundled). Then this design is attached to a telescopic rod connected to the housing.





Inside the case - the engine, battery (28.8 V, 2900 mAh), accelerometers, gyroscopes and electronic "brains", outside - rubberized wheels, two folding steps for parking, behind - a slot for a charging station or power supply. Plus power button. Double fairly vertically keeps and in order to “drop” it will require an extraordinary effort.







A recharging station not included in the package will have to be purchased additionally ($ 299). Plus, the docking station - with its help, you can activate at any time of the day or night (connecting via the power supply blocks this possibility); minus - the robot enters the station only in "manual mode".

Using a robot is no more difficult than using any modern household appliances. I installed a special program from iTunes on the iPad, I quickly registered, a legitimate tablet with a “double” via Bluetooth - that's all, you can go scaring colleagues or relatives.



Almost any Apple device will be suitable for management - the same Double application is installed, only in the settings it switches to the “Drive” mode. And no "androids" (at least for now). The backup option is control from any laptop or desktop (Windows, Mac) via Google Chrome (drive.doublerobotics.com). Naturally, Double should be located in the Wi-Fi or 3G / 4G coverage area (for iPad with the presence of the appropriate module).

After launching the application and entering the login-password, you can choose one of the registered “doubles” from the list (iPhone, iPod) or directly on the world map (iPad, Google Chrome). On the manager’s iDevice screen there are all the necessary buttons for controlling, turning on and adjusting sound, etc. If you are going to control the robot from under "Chrome", then the control is carried out using the keyboard. For example, moving back and forth-left-right is done with the arrow keys.







Regardless of which method of “double” control is used, you can quite cheerfully move on a flat surface (24 meters / min), turn around on the move (not just “stop and turn”, but on the move) and change the height of the robot ( the bar can be extended and the overall height of the Double varies in the range of 120-150 cm - the higher the robot, the lower the speed of movement). Yes, use outside the premises of a “double” is contraindicated, and powders more than half a centimeter in height can lead to unpredictable consequences. Here he plopped a couple of times - through a high threshold and trying to call on the curb. Thanks to the developers for the case with high sides - the iPad has stood the test.







Video calling is activated automatically - as soon as you have connected to the robot and cannot be turned off (you can only turn off the sound). You ask, but how does he go around all these chairs, tables, and so on? Sensors, lasers and other high-tech shamanism have nothing to do with it.

The iPad is inserted into the case upside down - a tricky design allows you to switch to the rear camera of the iPad and see if there is an insurmountable obstacle in front of the “double”.







By the way, the iPad can be recharged directly through Double, for this the cable is plugged into the connector on the tablet, and then passed through the inside of the case and inserted into the internal USB connector with the other end.

We decided to leave the robot alone? Press the “P” button (parking) on ​​the screen of the control device (or on the laptop / desktop keyboard) and the “double” will go into standby mode, releasing two stabilizing steps from the case.



Double - pleasure, to put it mildly, not cheap - in the States it costs $ 2500. And the robot is not directly delivered to Russia. But we have something to be proud of: the investment company Grishin Robotics, led by the notorious Dmitry Grishin, CEO of Mail.ru Group, invested in the development of Double Robotics.



Will robots work for us? “Double” is unlikely to give you an answer to such a question - this is just an unusual means of communication, which today is not intended for the widest audience.

Will it become popular and massive? Watch out for the Chinese. As soon as copies of such “doubles” appear on DealExtreme or Alibaba, then everything is robots among us.

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