Teleconferencing robot with swiveling video monitor

DATE – 2005
DISCIPLINE – Science
MEDIUM – Patent
STATUS – Assignee: Horizonscan Inc.
WEBLINKS
Patent number: 7123285

Abstract: A teleconferencing robot for enabling a remote conferee to project a sense of presence into a group meeting. The teleconferencing robot includes: a base; a video monitor movably mounted to the base for receiving and displaying an image of the remote conferee; an attention getting device for getting the attention of conferees in the group meeting; a control device mounted on the base for moving the video monitor and actuating the attention getting device in response to an input control signal derived from a remote signal generated by the remote conferee and sending an outgoing data signal to the remote conferee providing feedback to the remote conferee from the robot; and the video monitor and attention getting device move in response to the input control signal to enable the remote conferee to project a sense of presence into the group meeting, and to confirm the movement by the outgoing data signal.
Type: Grant
Filed: May 31, 2005
Date of Patent: October 17, 2006
Assignees: Telbotics Inc., Ryerson Polytechnic University and the University of Toronto
Inventors: Graham Thomas Smith, Deborah Ingrid Fels, Jutta Treviranus