TheRecord.com - Business - Meet IvanAnywhere
It’s the next best thing to being there; He’ll write software, attend meetings and even chat with co-workers. Just don’t expect this digital marvel to share a cup of coffee during your next break

September 01, 2007

MATT WALCOFF
RECORD STAFF
WATERLOO

Programmer Ivan Bowman spends his days at iAnywhere Solutions Inc. in much the same way his colleagues do.

He writes code, exchanges notes in other developers’ offices, attends meetings and, on occasion, hangs out in the kitchen or lounge over coffee and snacks.

About the only thing he can’t do is drink the coffee or eat the snacks — or touch anything, for that matter.

It’s not that Bowman doesn’t have hands or a mouth; they’re just in Halifax, along with the rest of his body.

In fact, it’s not really Bowman in the Waterloo office at all. It’s IvanAnywhere, a robot Bowman uses to interact with his colleagues in Waterloo from his home office 1,350 kilometres away.

“Robot” is a bit of a stretch, actually. IvanAnywhere is basically a coat rack on wheels with attached speakers, camera and touch-screen computer.

The computer screen displays a live shot of Bowman’s face from his living room in Nova Scotia.

But in the three months since IvanAnywhere first went online, he has become such a normal part of the third floor at iAnywhere that co-workers barely even notice they’re talking to a machine rather than to Bowman’s human form.

“We are all so used to Ivan, they don’t even give it a second thought,” says Glenn Paulley, Bowman’s boss and the originator of the IvanAnywhere idea.

When Bowman has a question for a colleague, he doesn’t pick up the phone; he uses his joystick to drive his doppelganger to the team member’s office.

If Paulley needs Bowman’s time on a software issue, he calls IvanAnywhere to his office, just as he would with any other employee.

Bowman uses IvanAnywhere to take part in meetings, even giving presentations with the help of a projector.

Every once in a while, he’ll motor to the floor’s lounge area to look out the window and chat with passersby, much as he would if he were in Waterloo.

Bowman has worked for the database software company since 1993. Five years ago, when his wife got a job in Halifax, his employers allowed him to follow her east and telecommute.

While Bowman could type out code as well in Halifax as he could in Waterloo, he was missing out on the personal give-and-take essential to the flow of ideas.

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This is awesome. Is this the wave of the future, being able to work from home while having this thing be your doppleganger?

Popular Science Blog - iRobot Arms Bomb-Inspector ‘Bots With Tasers
One law down, two to go? iRobot, manufacturer of the Roomba vacuum, has teamed up with Taser to arm its Packbot robots with stun guns. But it’s hard to say whether this is actually a violation of the first of science fiction author Isaac Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics: “A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.” Clearly, arming a robot with a stun gun is the first step towards breaking that rule. But the Packbots, currently used as bomb inspectors in Iraq, are remote-controlled. If there’s a human operator standing at a distance with his finger on the Taser trigger, is it really the robot that’s doing the harm? Yeah, probably. But please discuss.—Gregory Mone

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I want these robots to have real guns.  How are we going to get serious on terrorisms or crime if this thing has get to 5 feet from you to do anything to you.  Might as well make it a RC car with an LED laser.

Robot hosts South Korean wedding - Yahoo! News
DAEJEON, South Korea (AFP) - A robot on Sunday acted as master of ceremonies at a South Korean wedding in what its creators claimed as a world first.

Tiro the robot assisted at the wedding of Seok Gyeong-Jae, one of the engineers who designed it, and his bride at Daejeon, 130 kilometres (78 miles) south of Seoul.

“This is Tiro, master of ceremonies for today’s wedding,” the robot — featuring a cone-shaped body, two arms and a dark-glassed face with eyes and a mouth of flashing lights — said in front of smiling guests.

In a male voice, the robot introduced the couple to the crowd, let the couple bow to them and performed its programmed duties.

Manufacturer Hanool Robotics claims it is the first time a robot has been used as master of ceremonies at a wedding.

After its marital duties, Tiro — whose value was put at 200 million won (some 215,000 dollars) — would be upgraded to perform various other functions, according to Hanool officials.

Small other robots were also at the ceremony to guide guests or give performances.

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Looks like the great-great-great grandfather of C3PO. I wonder if R2D2’s great-great-great grandfather was serving drinks at the party?

BBC NEWS | Health | Bear robot rescues wounded troops
The US military is developing a robot with a teddy bear-style head to help carry injured soldiers away from the battlefield.

The Battlefield Extraction Assist Robot (BEAR) can scoop up even the heaviest of casualties and transport them over long distances over rough terrain.

New Scientist magazine reports that the “friendly appearance” of the robot is designed to put the wounded at ease.

It is expected to be ready for testing within five years.

While it is important to get medical attention for injured soldiers as soon as possible, it is often difficult and dangerous for their comrades to reach them and carry them back.

The 6ft tall Bear can cross bumpy ground without toppling thanks to a combination of gyroscopes and computer controlled motors to maintain balance.

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Forget medial attention, what about carrying my gear around!!!  I’m sorry, but if it can carry all that weight, I could see it being useful helping the elderly or being used in construction (i.e. carrying 2×4’s using voice commands).

Saw this video on YouTube with this robot attempting to play baseball. I wonder how long before we stop paying the Derek Jeters and Cal Ripkens and use robots for our Baseball?