| TELEPRESENCE OPTIONS
Spring 2011
www.TelepresenceCatalog.com
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Telepresence Options
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H uman Productivity Lab
Our consulting services for organizations and end users include: Realistic ROI modeling and deployment strategies Vendor and technology assessments Acquisition consulting Telepresence strategy and solution design - Executive and board level communication - Effective meeting and team solutions - Distance learning solutions
Best practice assessments Technology roadmap Implementation and training for success Inter-Company Telepresence & Visual Collaboration - Strategy & Execution The Human Productivity lab is an independent research rm and consultancy with offces in North America and Europe focused on telepresence for business and personal communications, entertainment, and distance learning. Whether you are an organization looking to super-charge your ability to collaborate globally or a content provider looking to understand how to beneet from the telepresence revolution, then the Human Productivity Lab can help.
While Productivity is our middle name we always put the Human rst! www.HumanProductivityLab.com
+1(512) 828-7317 (The Americas) +49 6171 2798097 (EMEA, APAC)
Info@HumanProductivityLab.com
TELEPRESENCE OPTIONS | What is Telepresence?
WHAT IS TELEPRESENCE? By Howard S. Lichtman President – Human Productivity Lab
P
robably the biggest debate in the telepresence industry is what telepresence itself means. Part of the problem is that the term could apply to so many types of telepresences: virtual reality telepresence, robotic telepresence, even the electro-biological telepresence in James Cameron’s Avatar movie. Though we’ll touch on robotic telepresence later, our main concern here is the telepresence conferencing that’s revolutionizing global business by dramatically accelerating knowledge transfer, learning and productive work while reducing physical travel and reengineering work. If you need a one-sentence definition, try this on for size: Visual collaboration solutions that address the human factors of participants and attempt to replicate, as closely as possible, an in-person experience.
Studies have shown people comprehend and retain information better when they see it as well as hear it. Most importantly, some behavioral psychologists believe that 70 to 80 percent of communication is non-verbal: facial expressions, gestures, posture and eye contact. The brain processes non-verbal information quickly, naturally and often subconsciously for a richer understanding of what’s being communicated than through speech alone.
What Makes A Visual Collaboration Solution… Telepresence? The complicated process of immersing two sets of people and making them feel like they’re talking to each other in the same room involves dozens of factors. Chief among them are these: • A natural and realistic environment
Answer: Because the human brain is so damn smart!
Whereas each auditory nerve is limited to about 30,000 fibers optic nerves that carries signals from the retina to the brain consists of around a million. Over your lifetime, your brain has developed certain innate preferences for communication, with “video” being its hands down favorite.
For business users, especially large multi-nationals with hundreds or thousands of potential participants, I would argue there are a number of additional requirements for creating the desired totality of experience. • •
Telepresence providers address a range of human factors that traditional videoconferencing didn’t. It costs more, but the immersive experience of telepresence is worth is.
Why Does Telepresence Cost So Much Money?
From the first seconds of life your brain has accustomed itself to visual collaboration. Your eyes are “cameras” delivering video to the “display” that is your brain. The retina and optic nerve are actually outgrowths of the brain itself, an organ with hundreds of millions of neurons — a full 30 percent of the cortex — devoted to vision (versus eight percent for touch and three percent for hearing.)
tive collaborative tools that everyone can figure out.
•
•
— If seeing is believing, then lifesize images, spatial acoustics, and visual perspective are essential. Fluid high definition video – High definition video with fluid motion, accurate flesh tones, and error-free transmission that eliminates screen remnants or anything else that would distract from the immersive experience. Collaboration — If you want to be productive between locations, you need intui-
Ease-of-use – Simple to schedule, simple to operate. Utility and Inter-operability — Connecting the headquarters with branch offices is valuable, but intercompany connections with partners, vendors, and customers are the game changer.
The Pay-off There is definitely a cost involved in more faithfully replicating in-person meeting experiences but for businesses trying to manage disparate operations or connect with partners, vendors, and clients globally the ROI is immense. The better the human experience the more that visual collaboration will be adopted by the enterprise, enjoyed by the participants, and accepted by partners. This additional usage and end-user satisfaction translates directly into improved productivity, reduced travel, and a higher quality of communication and understanding from all participants. If every human brain is a supercomputer then telepresence is opening up gigabit connections where more and better information flows faster between participants, organizations, and eco-systems and the results are extraordinary!
What is Telepresence? | TELEPRESENCE OPTIONS Monkey Vision – Why Humans Like to Look at Certain Other Humans
Why is People magazine at every supermarket check-out? Why do so many websites traffic in celebrity pictures? What’s so fascinating about looking at the rich and famous? The answer may lie with a study called “Monkey Pay Per View.” Dr. Michael Platt, a neurobiologist at Duke University Medical Center, began offering thirsty male monkeys their favorite drink (Cherry Juicy Juice) as images scrolled in front of them. The monkeys could stop and look at a given image by not drinking. They could, in fact, “pay” to see certain images by delaying gratification. Which images did Dr. Platt discover the monkeys were willing to pay for? 1. 2.
Monkey Pornography — Pictures of female monkey hindquarters – Not surprising. Monkey Celebrities — More surprising. Monkeys live in communities called “troops” where there exists a hierarchical pecking order of lower status and higher status members. The monkey’s were willing to “pay” to see pictures of higher status monkeys within their troop
The study provides an insight as to why visual communications is appealing to humans and monkeys alike. Better not let Madison Avenue find out or the next thing you know they will be using sex and celebrity to capture our attention long enough to show us commercials.
Immersion – What Does it Mean & How do You Measure It?
The Polycom RPX 400 Series has an enourmous 4 foot x 16 foot video wall that takes up almost the entire peripheral vision of the eye, the camera is hidden at eye-level behind the screen, the participants are perfectly positioned, and the architectural elements of the room are mirrored to produce a superb sense of immersion.
Anyone who has ever fallen in love on a first date can understand immersion. When immersion happens between two people, they connect so well they block out all other stimuli in their environments. This isn’t to say that executives need to fall in love to improve business communications. But they’ll produce better work in more immersive environments. When the brain isn’t distracted by the Medium (the visible screen, the obvious camera, low-quality audio, space, etc.) it’s freed up to focus on the Message (what’s being said, body language and social cues). Immersion produces superior end user acceptance and participants can stay in immersive environments longer without getting fatigued. In visual collaboration immersion is best thought of as a continuum where the graduations are not noticeably different from their adjacencies, although the ends or extremes are very different from each other. The more elements you can address the greater the immersion you will achieve. Here is a list of some of the more important ones: • • • • •
large seamless displays to address human’s wide horizontal field of view high-definition, life-size images absence of visible cameras, screen bezels, and electronics replicated environment including architectural elements, colors, furniture, excellent eye lines
att.com
progress in motion At AT&T we offer products such as Telepresence that help our customers reduce their environmental footprints. And we’re doing our part to be a smarter, more sustainable company. That’s why we’ve committed to one of the largest conversions of company vehicles to alternative energy. That’s progress.
© 2010 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved.
TELEPRESENCE OPTIONS | Understanding The Telepresence Marketplace
UNDERSTANDING THE TELE What’s just as mind-blowing as the technology behind telepresence? The width and breadth of the marketplace! Telepresence technologies extend beyond the familiar three-screen group systems. You can find them in retail kiosks, podiums, auditoriums and even on-stage experiences. Here’s a tour through the major segments of the market, with a couple of specialty applications thrown in for good measure. Types of Telepresence and Visual Collaboration Solution Group Systems — With their ability to replicate traditional across-the-table business meetings for executive and project teams, group systems make up the overwhelming majority of the market. These multi-screen, multi-codec systems generally seat four to eight primary participants, though many providers can add a second tier of seating to the environment. Most group systems can make multiple sites visible simultaneously on separate screens, an ability we call telepresence multipoint. Telepresence group systems are broken out into two major categories: Engineered Environments: These environments heighten the illusion of a shared physical space by precisely positioning participants. They may also match integrated lighting and acoustics as well as wall colors, furniture and architecture to ensure a unified look. The most realistic and immersive environments have large format seamless displays. Providers / Solutions Include: DVE Immersion Room, HP Visual Collaboration Studio, Polycom RPX 200 & 400 Series, Teliris VirtuaLive
The DVE Immersion Room is a large-format seamless display environment with a 120-inch screen that hides the camera at eye-level and doubles as a visualization environment for content from CAD/CAM, PowerPoint and medical informatics, and/or video and can display up to nine foot volumetric images that appear to float in space.
Understanding The Telepresence Marketplace | TELEPRESENCE OPTIONS
EPRESENCE MARKETPLACE
Teliris VirtuaLive uses SVC to traverse bumpy networks. It’s available as either an engineered environment that unifies the look and feel of each location or as a modular, stand-alone system installs with little make-ready
HP Halo Studio is an engineered environment that wraps up integrated collaborative tools like ceiling mounted visualizer and real-time video sharing, access to services including real time translation (150 languages) and a network optimized for video that connects to all the other Halo customers.
TELEPRESENCE OPTIONS | Understanding The Telepresence Marketplace Modular Telepresence: These group systems are free-standing and designed to fit into existing conference rooms with minimal make-ready. They have many of the same features found in engineered environments, and can be upgraded with optional environmental packages. Providers / Solutions Include: AVI-SPL Camèlèon, BrightCom Lumina, Cisco CTS 3010, Cisco T3, HP Meeting Room, Huawei TP 3106, LifeSize Conference, Magor HD Trio, Polycom OTX, Polymedia Telepresence Solution, TelePresence Tech TPT 4000, Teliris Express, Teliris VirtuaLive
The AVI-SPL Camèlèon is a modular group telepresence system that can be deployed with Polycom, LifeSize, or Cisco C 40 codecs. The system can be installed in one day and the control system can be configured to control everything from room lighting to collaborative peripherals.
The Polycom OTX is a modular group system that offers an optional wall-back-wall for the look and feel of an engineered environment.
Engage
your world.
Extend: Your Voice, Your Vision, Your Message, Your Idea Your Next Level of Collaborative Communications From multipoint video conferencing to extensive performance reporting, our exclusive ConferencePoint service offering delivers flexible options for both traditional video and Telepresence environments. Through our partnership with Telepresence industry leaders such as Cisco, Polycom and LifeSize, we can design, engineer, integrate, install and support the solution of your choice. Now you have the power to see and talk to virtually anyone, anywhere around the world – regardless of network, technology or device.
ConferencePoint Connect
With AVI-SPL’s managed conferencing services program, you can provide an environment for users to quickly connect with Telepresence rooms, HD video endpoints, telecommuters or practically anyone in the world. The ConferencePoint suite of services address networking, system management and meeting services, allowing you to “Connect,” “Control” and “Communicate” with ease.
• Quality of Service (QoS) connectivity • Dialing plan architecture • Easy-to-use phone-like features • Support for standards based HD and SD videoconferencing calls over IP and ISDN
ConferencePoint Control • Comprehensive monitoring and room management • Call launching • 24/7 HelpDesk • Extensive performance reporting
ConferencePoint Communicate
Room Calendars
• Inbound or Web based reservations and comprehensive support
Performance Reporting
Why AVI-SPL? As the industry leader, AVI-SPL’s unmatched level of expertise includes a partnership with more than 700 of the industry’s top manufacturers, a wide depth of highly-skilled and certified technicians, and the reliability of 24/7 support. Through a global network of nearly 40 offices - including international locations in Mexico and Dubai - and more than 1,400 employees, AVI-SPL’s strong tradition of collaboration continues.
• Full complement of meeting services • Video and audio bridging and streaming
Call Scheduling
Contact Us Today! 866-559-8197
Understanding The Telepresence Marketplace | TELEPRESENCE OPTIONS Large Group Systems and Telepresence Classrooms Telepresence classrooms and large group systems hold at least 18 primary participants. Many of the companies listed below can create custom solutions that seat more. Providers/Solutions Include: Cisco TelePresence System 3200 Series (18 seats), Polycom RPX 200 Series (18 seats), Polycom RPX 400 Series (18 or 28 seats), Teliris VirtuaLive (Up to 24 seats)
The Polycom RPX 400 Series can seat up to 28 participants and make each of them visible on-screen. Its telepresence multipoint ability can connect five sites and display seven participants on the screen from each of four locations —a total capacity of 140 participants.
The virtual lecture hall at the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University features a custom-built integration of Cisco TelePresence. Its features include three 103-inch plasma displays, six 1080p cameras, an instructor’s podium with two document cameras for content, three remote student displays for the instructor to view remote classrooms from the podium, and 66 custom push-to-talk microphones for interactive discussions. The system was built by systems integration partner IVCi.
TELEPRESENCE OPTIONS | Understanding The Telepresence Marketplace Small Group Telepresence Solutions Small group systems are typically limited to a single screen and are often telepresence display solutions that can utilize traditional videoconferencing cameras/codecs to improve the human factors and end user acceptance of existing videoconferencing deployments. Products such as the DVE Huddle 70 and the Telepresence Tech Eye-to-Eye Systems use a beam splitter, a piece of silvered glass that hides the camera at eye-level to deliver a more natural eye-contact experience. Providers/Solutions Include: Cisco TelePresence 1000 & 1100, Cisco TelePresence 1300, DVE Huddle 70, HP Visual Collaboration Room, Magor HD Duo, TelePresence Tech TPT46 Conference System,
The DVE Huddle 70 is a small-group telepresence display that can accept any camera/codec to improve the users’ existing videoconferencing equipment. The system features a unique bezel-less display that hides the camera at eye-level.
The Magor HD Duo offers sophisticated peer-to-peer collaboration capabilities, such as drag and drop sharing between computer desktops. The system also allows permitted users to see, control and edit shared files and documents in real time.
How collaboration should be.
This is collaboration without constraint. People working together the way they work best: • • • •
meeting when they need to, rather than waiting for a dedicated room instantly accessing and sharing information from their PCs, networks and white boards bringing in subject matter experts as necessary — even via mobile devices naturally interacting, without feeling like they are performing on stage
Magor TeleCollaboration leverages the clarity and power of 1080p HD video — without the cost and complexity of engineered networks — to dramatically improve the effectiveness of visual collaboration. To find out more, visit » www.magorcorp.com/tpo
Understanding The Telepresence Marketplace | TELEPRESENCE OPTIONS Video Conferencing Videoconferencing systems include everything a user needs for visual communication. When set up the right way, they can create an effective telepresence experience. See our recommendations on pages X-X Providers / Solutions Include: Cisco Telepresence Profile Series, HaiVision MAKO- HD, LifeSize Express, LifeSize Team, LifeSize Room 220, Polycom HDX Series, Vidyo Room, Vu TelePresence Pro & Premier,
Vu TelePresence offers a complete turnkey system for a small deposit and low monthly payments to flip CAPEX to OPEX. The Vu Premier is capable of 720p high definition video and can record and archive up to 1,500 hours of video or stream to hundreds of internet-connected PCs.
The LifeSize Communications Room 220 System can display either high-definition 1080p 30fps or 720p 60fps video. It comes standard with an embedded eight-way Continuous Presence multipoint bridge showing four visible sites, complete with transcoding and all digital I/O.
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TELEPRESENCE OPTIONS | Understanding The Telepresence Marketplace Executive Systems Executive systems extend telepresence capabilities to an office or home office. Some offer features that hide the camera and align it for eye contact. Providers / Solutions Include: Cisco Telepresence System 500, Cisco TelePresence System EX Series, Cisco TelePresence MXP Series, DVE Executive Telepresence System, DVE Eye-Contact Silhouette, HP Visual Collaboration Executive Desktop, LifeSize Communications LG Executive, Magor HD Solo, Polycom HDX 4000, TelePresence Tech TPT 22 Desktop, Teliris Nano Telepresence, Teliris Nano EX, Teliris Personal Telepresence, Vidyo Desktop
The Teliris Nano EX is a 41.5-inch panoramic display that extends the Teliris group telepresence environment to the desktop, allowing a complete view of remote participants.
The HP Visual Collaboration Executive Desktop includes an HP TouchSmart PC with preloaded HP Visual Collaboration software powered by Vidyo SVC for traversing bumpy networks, an HD camera and a USB headset.
Nothing should stand between you and your ideas, including borders, time zones and infrastructure. With HP Visual Collaboration, you’re free to move about the globe. With our adaptive Scalable Video Coding, you get the best high definition video from laptop to conference room. And since it’s software based, it’s affordable and easily upgradable. To find out more about HP’s innovative solutions, go to www.hp.com/go/visualcollaboration
Understanding The Telepresence Marketplace | TELEPRESENCE OPTIONS On-Stage Telepresence On-stage telepresence replicates a life-size person on a stage that can interact with an audience in real time from afar. Providers/Solutions Include: DVE Telepresence Stage, Musion Eyeliner On-Stage Telepresence
The Musion Eyeliner foil has been used to create on-stage telepresence experiences linking together cities around the world. The technology has been used for events ranging from keynote speeches with floating augmented reality data to the projection of life-like virtual performers that interacted with Madonna at the Grammy Awards.
Telepresence Podiums and Lecterns Telepresence podiums and lecterns let remote presenters appear life-size as if they were standing at a podium in a room. Most systems work with a variety of cameras and codecs. Providers/Solutions Include: DVE Immersive Podium, DVE Telepresence Podium, TelePresence Tech TPT 1900 Lectern, Teliris InterACT Lectern
The DVE Immersive Podium uses the camera and codec of your choice to display a remote participant life-size. The system also enables floating data and other visuals.
real time in real space connectivity
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Innovators of Real Telepresence Before you make your telepresence decision, consider the solutions of the world’s leading innovator. For over a decade DVE has designed and built the most amazing telepresence experiences in the world. Hollywood studios, Wall street financial firms, government agencies, corporations and educational institutions have all relied on the expertise of DVE. Discover why most telepresence from other companies is just ol’ time videoconferencing, and why real telepresence from DVE makes all the difference. Call today for a free consultation.
“Global Telepresence Product of the Year Award” Frost & Sullivan
Digital Video Enterprises
www.DVEtelepresence.com
19200 Von Karman Ave., Suite 400, Irvine, CA 92612 • (949) 347-9166 main • (949) 347-9167 Fax
DVE © MMX
Understanding The Telepresence Marketplace | TELEPRESENCE OPTIONS Telemedicine and Telehealth Providers/Solutions Include: DVE 3D Product Sales Kiosk, TelePresence Tech 3-D HD Kiosk
The Cisco HealthPresence pod has been trialed in Scotland with the Scottish Centre for TeleHealth to deliver care from “Shopping mall to hotels to post offices�
MedPresence designed a specialty telepresence environment at Barrow Neurological Institute for surgical education that connects the operating room with an 18 seat Polycom 400 Series RPX.
TELE PRESENCE TECH
EyE-to-EyE tElEPrEsEncE and truE dEPth disPlays
TelePresence Tech delivers the ultimate telepresence experience with life-size participants appearing with aligned eye contact within a three dimensional setting.
ExtEnsivE Product rangE TelePresence Tech has developed systems with displays ranging from 22� to 140�. These systems are in numerous configurations, including desktop, conference room, mobile, lectern, kiosk and total immersive environments. These products are manufactured to world class standards and are competitively priced.
tElEPrEsEncE with truE dEPth Unlike telepresence solutions based on flat screens with cameras positioned outside the image area, this patented technology integrates a beamsplitter to align the camera exactly with the eye level of the participants. The transmitted participants are not contained on flat screens since the TelePresence Tech system superimposes them into the room physically in front of the backdrop to achieve a greater sense of presence.
TelePresence Tech 866 899 3933
1200 E. Plano Parkway Plano, Tx 75074 www.TelePresenceTech.com
custom dEsign solutions The TelePresence Tech organization with a 200,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility and 200 employees is well equiped to undertake large scale production. Our design, engineering and manufacturing team can quickly deveiop custom designs for special projects.
TELEPRESENCE OPTIONS | Understanding The Telepresence Marketplace Telepresence Kiosks and Retail Solutions Telepresence kiosks and retail solutions make sales representatives and customer service agents available around the world, proving personal and costeffective support.
The TelePresence Tech 3-D HD Kiosk provides an eye-contact experience with a subject matter expert anywhere in the world. It can also display eye-catching graphics and branding that appear to float in mid-air. The system can be deployed in stand-up or sit-down environments and customized to your specifications.
Specialty Telepresence Environments
DreamWorks Animation designed a specialty stand up telepresence environment for storyboarding and pitch meetings.
TELEPRESENCE OPTIONS | Telepresence Robotics: Tale of the Tape
Robotic Telepresence: Tale of the Tape
From Left: AnyBots QB, RoboDynamics TiLR, Gostai Jazz Connect, Mantaro’s Mantaro Bot, and VGo Bot: Manufacturer: Availability Date: Price Tag & Per Month Charges if any: Height & Weight:
QB AnyBots March 2011
TiLR RoboDynamics Summer 2008
Jazz Connect Gostai January 2011
Mantaro Bot Mantaro March 2011
VGo VGo November 2010
$15,000 / $0
$10,000 /$0$100/mo/user
$11,000 / $0
$3,500 / $0
$5,995 / $100
42” and 48” 60lbs
40” / 18lbs
Top Speed: Video Resolution: Bandwidth Required:
Height Adjusts: 30-74” 35 lbs 5.13 feet/sec
3.5 feet/sec 640 x 480, 30fps full-duplex 600 kbps (SD) to 85kbps (min) 3 Mbps (HD) 500kbps (rec)
63’’ / 40 lbs 15.5” x 15.5” footprint 2.05 feet/sec Up to 720p
48” tall, 13”x15” footprint / 18 lbs 2.5 feet/sec 640 x 480
1Mbps
768K up and down (connections are typically about 400K, still functions as low as 100K)
3.65 feet/sec Up to 640x480p at 25fps 480Kbps up & down recommended
Telepresence Robotics: Tale of the Tape | TELEPRESENCE OPTIONS
Bot: Manufacturer: Runtime:
QB AnyBots 6-8 hours
TiLR RoboDynamics 6-8 hours
Jazz Connect Gostai 5 hours
Mantaro Bot Mantaro 4 hours
Unique Features: - High definition zoom - Seamless roaming on wireless - Two way streaming video - Touch screen enabled WiFi configuration - High quality audio - clear visual - Collision avoidance technology -Professional and friendly appearance
- Ability to run your own video/ audio solution (eg Skype, MSN Messenger, etc) - Independent Pan/Tilt/Zoom camera - 26x Optical Zoom - Platform independent (run any OS)
-Articulated head -Detects & avoids obstacles -5’’ LCD touch screen -Automatic Wifi roaming -Gostai 3D pointer technology -Speech synthesis -Optional laser navigation and mapping
- Capable of expansion and customization via 4 USB ports, 16 digital I/O, and 4 A/D inputs -Custom design services available for modifications and feature requests. -Infrared obstacle detection to aid in navigation.
Docking Station: Yes
Yes
Network Connectivity
Wi-fi, 4G
802.11n Wi-Fi
Security options: -automatic patrolling -movement detection -infrared LED for night vision Yes w/ AutoDock Wi-fi, 3G optional
Yes Wi-fi
VGo VGo 6 hours or 12 hours -Hi Res Snapshot w Flash, -WiFi Roaming, -802.1X enterprise security, -802.11e WMM packet prioritization, -Obstacle and cliff avoidance, -USB ports -H.264 codec -8khz audio -2 speakers, 4 Mics -Speech processor -Auto-camera down when not in use -Local view PIP -Auxiliary lights -Connectivity diagnostics -Camera Zoom (Q2-2011) Yes w/ AutoDock Wi-fi, 4G
TELEPRESENCE OPTIONS | Telepresence Robotics — A Primer
ROBOTIC TELEPRESENCE – A PRIMER Telepresence robotics technology uses mobile robots equipped with two-way visual collaboration tools. Most robots have a screen that displays the operator’s face. They can be driven around remote facilities by an operator who interacts with colleagues from afar. The first batch of commercial robots to hit the street range in price from $3,500 to $15,000. On the do-it-yourself side, Wiimote hacker Johnny Chung Lee has opensourced his plans for a $500 version using a $250 netbook and a $250 iRobot Create kit on YouTube. The video has over 55,000 views. In addition to players featured in the line-up, robotics powerhouses iRobot and Willow Garage have both demonstrated telepresence robots and are expected to enter the market. The technology combines the collaborative and humanizing nature of video with the mobility of robotics. Some applications include: • • • • • •
Remote employees interacting with colleagues at traditional company campuses and locations Subject matter experts working remotely in a variety of locations Owners and managers monitoring their businesses from afar Mobile pill dispensers roving hospitals Remote students studying at a variety of universities Roving security systems (when not in use by a remote operator)
Early adopters have reported a number of unique social dynamics arising from the technology. Fred Nikgohar, the CEO and founder of RoboDynamics, has said that two thirds of the time colleagues will seek out the robot to talk with a remote employee instead of simply calling him or her. After five days, co-workers begin referring to the robot by the employee’s name. So, how many robots can we expect to see roaming the halls in the coming years? Trevor Blackwell, the founder and CEO of AnyBots, believes that one robot for every 100 employees in a company is the right ratio to use the machines effectively.
The view from the driver’s seat – The dashboard of the VGo telepresence robot
words, white board material, or an image of the boss in the can. The Future of Robotic Telepresence More Autonomy: Telepresence robots must be driven somewhat laboriously around an office or campus. This requires attention and wastes time. Expect future robots to automatically pilot themselves to a specific location while detecting obstacles and avoiding collisions along the way.
mimic human gesture and emotion. Soon, robotics will be able to faithfully replicate a human face. In the long term, the industry will likely move toward a future like the one depicted in the film Surrogates, in which operators are jacked into life-like, fully-mobile versions of themselves from afar.
Better Human Factors: What’s the biggest disappointment with the initial crop of telepresence robots? The small displays aren’t placed at the right height for talking to a standing human. Screens will get bigger — the bare minimum should be a life-size human head — for more humanistic interaction. Life-like representations of the owner/ operators: Companies at the forefront of this technology have made great improvements to the small servo-mechanical motors that can
QB from AnyBots likes to Party
Like any new technology, a number of legal and security issues need to be worked out. These include the following. •
•
Liability: Whose insurance pays when a remote employee’s robot runs into someone while picking up a scone at the coffee shop? Security: What if a hacker or competitor hijacked a robot and used the camera’s high-resolution zoom to capture pass-
Professor Henrik Sharfe of Aalborg University in Denmark examines a non-mobile Geminoid – DK robot that has been designed to look exactly like him.
Th The T he fusion of video and audio seamlessly distributed between boardroom suites, desktops personal devices to enable collaborative communications experiences. This is the and pe p rs artt of iintegration. ar
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Experience Telepresence at the NAB Show.Ž Here you will get perspectives from Ex E p r pe worldwide thought leaders on the future of this next generation visual communications w rld wo platform and the business case and costs for deploying telepresence solutions. plat pl atfo f fo professionals and broadcast engineers will find the know-how needed to incorporate IT Tp roff telepresence into production and operations facilities. C-level, network and studio te ele lepre executives, the media and enterprise sectors will discover how integrating telepresence will exxec e e utiv increase iin ncr c ea ase effi ef ciency and foster communications to remote locations — finding new ways to use innovation in nn no ovati tion to stay competitive and drive business forward. Learn more at www.nabshow.com.
Get a free code reader at getscanlife.com.
Visit the NAB Show online gallery to view the entire collection of Integration-inspired paintings.
TELEPRESENCE OPTIONS | The ROI of Telepresence in a World of Economic and Geopolitical Uncertainty
THE ROI OF TELEPRESENCE IN A WORLD OF ECONOMIC AND GEOPOLITICAL UNCERTAINTY By Howard S. Lichtman President – Human Productivity Lab
I
n 2011, the world sits at the crossroads of economic and geopolitical uncertainty. On the economic side the United States faces growing difficulty financing its astounding deficit spending. According to Mary Meeker, the former Morgan Stanley analyst who now runs analysis for KPCB, the country’s cash flow (the difference between government’s cash intake and outflow) was negative $1.3 trillion last year, equivalent to $11,000 per household. Cash flow has been negative for nine consecutive years, totaling $4.8 trillion. She puts the United States’ net worth at negative $44 trillion, including unfunded Social Security and Medicaid commitments over the next 75 years. Boston University economist Laurence Kotlikoff calculates U.S. government debt, including Social Security, Medicaid and similar programs, at $200 trillion. That’s 840 percent of the current GDP.
The Fed’s policy of creating endless money out of thin air comes with a price: Inflation.The value of money is almost directly proportional to the amount in circulation. Create unlimited amounts of money not backed by anything but government promises and you can expect the value of that money to drop. Sometimes precipitously.
Wholesale prices jumped 0.8 percent in January, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The
Producer Price Index has now jumped three percent over the last four months. And no, that’s not an annualized figure. The PPI number is for ‘finished goods’ that are ready to be sold direct to consumers. In the category of ‘crude goods,’ the figures are far worse – up 3.3% in January, and up a staggering 15.8% over the last four months. I predicted in our 2006/2007 publication, Telepresence, Effective Visual Collaboration and the Future of Global Business at the Speed of Light, that dollar devaluation and rising fuel prices will threaten air travel and promote telepresence and visual collaboration. Specifically I wrote: The commercial aviation industry relies on cheap seats and full planes. Reducing either side of this equation creates a vicious cycle for the carriers. Rising fuel prices equals higher ticket prices, which reduces demand for seats. Less passengers leads to even higher ticket prices as carriers cover flying costs at reduced capacities. Higher ticket prices leads to . . . reduced demand for seats. Dramatically more expensive oil could deal another significant blow to the international aviation industry, which saw five bankruptcies in 2005 and is still reeling from six straight years of net losses, with 2006 set to be number seven. The International Air Transport Association recently raised its 2006 net loss forecast to $3 billion from $2.2 billion, and a major increase in the price of jet fuel would substantially increase these losses even further and most likely see marginally profitable routes and flights eliminated making air travel even less convenient. Additional airline bankruptcies will inevitably lead to reduced competition, which equals higher costs and less convenience. In 2008, oil went over $100 per barrel hitting $145 in July. In the process the world ended up losing over two dozen airlines to bankruptcies, service cessations, and mergers and acquisitions, which increased the cost and decreased the convenience of physical travel.
Now this dynamic is repeating itself. As of early April 2011, WTI crude has just hit a 2½-year high over $108 a barrel. Brent crude is trading at $119. To compound the problem we have massive destabilization in the Middle East and North Africa threatening oil supplies. NATO has launched a military campaign to support the foreign and domestic military forces opposing the Gaddafi regime which has publicly threatened a scorched earth policy against oil infrastructure. The Egyptian government has recently changed hands in what appears to be a military coup with a thin patina of engineered demonstrations while military and security forces in both Yemen and Bahrain have both openly massacred protestors. Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Jordan are also seeing protests and the entire region remains a tinderbox.
What does this have to do with Telepresence and Visual Collaboration? Quite simply in an inflationary environment where physical travel is getting more expensive and less convenient, improving your organization’s ability to effectively do business both domestically and globally, is one of your best strategies for business continuity. In addition, telepresence and visual collaboration provide a
TELEPRESENCE OPTIONS | The ROI of Telepresence in a World of Economic and Geopolitical Uncertainty
Summarized Hard and Soft Dollar ROI and Intangible Benefits • • • • •
• •
Reduced Intra-company Business Travel and Use of Executive Aircraft — Both are quantifiable hard dollar ROIs. Productivity —You can shorten decision times, accelerate the speed of business, and reduce time in transit and out of the office. Flexibility — Break free of the limitations of physical travel and even the space-time continuum: you can be in multiple locations simultaneously. Cost Efficiency — More of the team can come to a meeting than would have otherwise traveled there. Knowledge Transfer and Management — Some telepresence environments can be used to capture, stream and archive content (including both video and data) created in the environment. Time-to-Market Advantage — Reduce the cycle time to launch new product offerings and integrate them into production. True Lease Tax Advantages — Many telepresence systems can be leased with an equipment write-off tied to the lease term, which can be shorter than IRS depreciation schedules, meaning larger tax deductions each year.
•
• •
•
•
•
Merger and Acquisition — The M&A process gets a lot easier with the telepresence advantage: • Key executives from each team to are “right down the hall” from each other. • The M&A costs in hard-dollar travel, lost productivity and technical integration shoot way down. • More contact means more knowledge and cultural transfer between organizations. Quality-of-Life — Business travel can be hard on personnel, families and the lower back. Relationship Management — Board members, clients, vendors, shareholders, the media and everybody else gets more face-to-face time to nurture important business relationships. Employee Health and Safety — You can keep on doing business in regions made dangerous by terrorism, war or public health emergencies. Disaster Preparation and Business Continuity — The ability to effectively manage after a disaster or during restrictions of air travel due to war or terrorism. Improved ROI from Existing VTC Investment — Many telepresence solutions end up increasing the usage of legacy videoconferencing systems, not just replacing them.
The ROI of Telepresence in a World of Economic and Geopolitical Uncertainty | TELEPRESENCE OPTIONS disaster recovery capability that allows for continuity of operations should the economy worsen or physical travel become impossible for reasons including but not limited to: Currency collapse, war, terrorism, or Icelandic volcanoes.
many organizations are seeking alternatives to physical travel.
Let’s look at the business case for telepresence and visual collaboration as economic and geopolitical business continuity:
Organizations forced to cut jobs often face the same amount of work with less employees. Telepresence lets you do more with less — it improves the individual productivity of executives, managers and subject matter experts who are, quite literally, leveraged around the world at the speed of light.
1. Intra-company business travel is often the largest controllable expense in most corporations. Telepresence and effective visual collaboration (videoconferencing, unified communications, and webconferencing) are the best solutions for reducing travel expenses while maintaining and improving a company’s ability to effectively manage operations. 2. Commercial aviation will continue to become more costly and less convenient. The rising price of oil and recession-related demand destruction in commercial aviation will ultimately lead to more airline bankruptcies, service cessations, and mergers and acquisitions.
3. Companies facing job cuts will require doing more with less.
4. Bankrupt suppliers, partners and customers require lightning fast responses. How much would it cost your company per day to idle a production line because you lose a major sub-component manufacturer to bankruptcy? Telepresence lets organizations rapidly connect with new partners to continue operations. Strategies for Success in Crafting a Telepresence Strategy for Organizational Productivity, Travel Avoidance, and Business Continuity •
While most businesses are well aware of rising hard costs of travel, many haven’t done the calculations on the rising soft costs of reduced convenience, less flight options, and lost capacity in the system to re-route business travelers when delays or cancellations occur. With less airlines to choose from and fuller planes on fewer routes, executives are getting delayed, stranded or rerouted on a multi-hop flights. In January 2011 the airline cancellation rate hit 4% of flights due to inclement weather. This figure didn’t include delays, mechanical difficulties, missed connection or other travel disruptions. Multiply the hard and soft costs of a 2-4% flight failure ratio vs. hundreds, thousands, or tens of thousands of business trips annually and it becomes clear why
is growing. The utility of who you can reach and what can be accomplished in a telepresence environment has never been better and rising energy costs along with economic and geopolitical uncertainty is pushing the ROI even higher. Smart organizations should view their visual collaboration investments as part of an overall economic disaster recovery and business continuity plan to weather any storm.
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When building the business case for deploying a robust telepresence and visual collaboration capability, don’t just focus on avoided travel and improved productivity. Evaluate the investment as part of your overall disaster recovery and business continuity plan. Understand the hard, soft, and opportunity costs involved if physical travel became prohibitively expensive or impossible for both short and extended periods of time. Evaluate a telepresence and visual collaboration strategy that will connect you with the greatest number of your partners, vendors and customers at the greatest possible quality. Get your partners, vendors, and customers on-board — Negotiate network connections, IP and dialing plans, call directories, and firewall traversal before there is a crisis. Develop internal and external programs to promote visual collaboration up and down your supply and demand chain. Have an interconnection strategy that allows you to rapidly provision connectivity with other firms. Make sure your telepresence investment is interoperable with standards-based videoconferencing systems, including systems that run over ISDN to ensure you can reach the maximum number of global endpoints. Leverage publicly available telepresence and videoconferencing facilities to reach vendors, partners, customers and branch offices that don’t warrant a dedicated system.
In summary, the ROI for telepresence and visual collaboration has always been superb and
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Howard S. Lichtman is the president of the consultancy Human Productivity Lab which advises clients how to deploy and optimize telepresence and visual collaboration investments to improve organizational productivity. He is the author of the Inter-Company Telepresence and Videoconferencing Handbook which details how to create an inter-company visual collaboration program to connect fluidly with partners, vendors, and customers.
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TELEPRESENCE OPTIONS | Creating Telepresence Environments
CREATING TELEPRESENCE ENVIRONMENTS By Howard S. Lichtman President – Human Productivity Lab Illustrated by Bryan Hellard President – Hellard Design
A $250,000 telepresence group system just isn’t in your budget? Here are some tips for getting the best possible experience out of traditional videoconferencing endpoints, appliances, and even web cams including some options for “pro-modifying” existing telepresence solutions and what you need for an “on-stage” telepresence experience. OFFICES & HOME OFFICES
YOUR OFFICE SAYS A LOT ABOUT YOU. YOUR “STUDIO” TELLS THE SAME STORY TO PEOPLE WHO VISIT THROUGH A CAMERA. GIVE SOME THOUGHT TO THE BACKGROUND. you as well. 2.
Light Yourself: The easiest and most effective way to improve how you look on a videoconference is to light yourself properly. Ideally, the light would come directly in front of you or above at a 45-degree angle so your eyebrow doesn’t cast a shadow over your eye socket. If you’re on a budget, a simple Anglepoise lamp with a halogen or natural spectrum bulb will do the trick. Deluxe: color balance the light with your camera.
3.
Double Up: Consider buying a second monitor. You can talk with your collaborator on one monitor and work with the data on the other. Dualview comes standard on Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP, a simple matter of plugging the second monitor into the spare VGA / DVI port. Mac users and other/older operating systems may require a mini-DVI to analog cable or dual monitor software like Ultra-
Executives are integrating visual collaboration in their offices and home offices as prices drop on HD video endpoints, software clients and high-quality cameras. Here’s how to create an effective studio environment.
BASICS 1.
Design Your Set: Your office says a lot about you. Your “studio” tells the same story to people who visit through a camera. Give some thought to the background. When you need to make a good impression on a video call, a wider shot with a visible background beats a talking face captured from a laptop any day. Also, the farther away you are from the camera, the less annoying eye-line parallax issue will seem. And don’t forget wardrobe! Even if you
Mid-Grade: Dual-Screens let you see your remote partner and the data you are collaborating on simultaneously.
work from home, at the very least wear a collared shirt but make sure it isn’t red because that doesn’t look good on camera. Make sure you don’t have a window behind
Premium: Eye-Contact solutions from DVE (pictured) and TelePresence Tech can use any video codec and hide the camera behind a beam splitter for perfect eye-contact for one-on-one conferences.
Mon to correct for monitor sizes or simplify set up.
4.
Upgrade: Just because your laptop or monitor came with an embedded camera and microphone doesn’t mean you’re stuck with them. Consider upgrading to an HD camera and a USB speakerphone, both ideal for your desk and your mobile office. They’ll make a big difference with Skype calls as well.
The ClearOne Chat 50 is a USB speakerphone that improves audio on video calls and doubles as a speakerphone for Skype.
5.
Off-load: Use a second computer as your video platform. Videoconferencing is so processor-intensive, unloading the job on another computer frees up your primary laptop or PC to work without bumps as you conference with colleagues. You’ll maximize your video and data collaboration.
6.
Roll with It: Mounting your videoconferencing setup to a computer desk with wheels makes it easy to capture you at your desk, at a conference table with other people, or more anywhere you want to be.
Creating Telepresence Environments | TELEPRESENCE OPTIONS
ROOM SYSTEM AND CLASSROOM BASICS Screen Size and Placement: The bigger the better! LCD screens are generally superior to plasma — they weigh less and use less energy. We recommend at least a 50-inch screen mounted across from the primary seats on the long side of a conference table. Don’t mount it at the head of the table unless you usually have more than four participants in a conference. Screens measuring 60 to 65 inches work best for effectively displaying all those extra participants. If you’re working with a small group and want to keep things intimate, a beam-splitter display that hides the camera at eye-level can go a long way toward making the exchange feel natural. For larger groups, you can always use a LCD/DLP projector to project the primary image across a wall. Sound and Acoustics: The quality of the sound is just as important as the quality of the video. You want the exchange to sound like everyone is in the same space, a trick that involves quality microphones placed in the right spots. Microphones can be hung from the ceiling or embedded in the table where they will occasionally, unfortunately, pick up the sound of papers shuffling. Microphones will pick up sound reverberating off hard and flat surfaces in a room. You can dampen reverberations by installing soundabsorbing material to the ceiling and walls and angle up with spacers any large flat surfaces such as whiteboards and pictures. Some telepresence solutions allow for multichannel spatial audio. That means the sound comes from different directions depending on which site or screen is talking. Camera Placement: To place a fixed camera, PTZ camera or a videoconferencing appliance, mount it underneath the primary display at approximate eye-level. Then point the camera in-between the two seats that would serve as the primary seats during a meeting. You want to capture and display the two primary participants at life-size proportions. Use camera pre-sets for capturing two participants, four participants, six participants, the entire room and a pre-set for capturing a whiteboard. For three or more screens, mount a camera under each screen at eye-level.
MOST MEETINGS ONLY HAVE ONE TO SIX PARTICIPANTS, SO DON’T GET HUNG UP ABOUT THE MAXIMUM NUMBER OF PEOPLE THE ROOM WILL HOLD. INSTEAD, FOCUS ON CREATING AN ENVIRONMENT THAT WILL MAXIMIZE THE QUALITY FOR THESE PARTICIPANTS. walls that doesn’t detract from the visual experience on the screen. Try muted, neutral colors such beige, tan, light gray, or light blue. Avoid busy patterns or stripes and any reflective surface that will be visible to the camera. Cover large windows if possible and apply acoustical treatments to the walls and ceilings to dampen reverberation. Collaborative Tools: “The usual and customary tools in their usual and customary format.” That’s what creates the most effective collaboration. Most telepresence solutions come with basic data collaboration that “screen scrape” what’s on a local laptop (connected by VGA) and transmit the information to a dedicated data collaboration monitor(s) at the remote site. If your organization works extensively with hand-generated graphics on a whiteboard, then working with someone on the other end with an interactive whiteboard will optimize your virtual workflow. A number of additional tools can be incorporated into a telepresence environment for organizations that need more sophisticated collaboration capabilities. Document Cameras and Ceiling Mounted Visualizers — These technologies let you collaborate on documents and physical objects. Ceiling-mounted visualizers made by WolfVision eliminate the clutter that a document cam-
Whiteboards, Interactive Whiteboards, and Digital Flipcharts — Whiteboards should be placed behind the main participants so they can be easily accessed and captured by the primary camera. You can set up a camera preset with a tight shot of the whiteboard to quickly share its contents. Interactive whiteboards can immediately digitize work, annotate documents and graphics, and whiteboard interactively between locations. Digital flipcharts capture handgenerated content through virtual “sheets” that can be virtually “taped to the wall,” replicating a traditional flip chart brainstorming session. High Definition Encoders / Decoders — Dedicated encoder/decoder solutions such as Extron’s VN_Matrix are designed especially for organizations that need to work with highresolution images, real-time video or real-time visualization information. Room Control: If a telepresence and visual collaboration room isn’t easy to use it won’t get used. This is especially true in large organizations with hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of potential users. The gold standard for control are menu–driven, touch-sensitive displays that let you pre-program your most frequently called remote locations and make the collaborative tools, camera presets, and other key features intuitively obvious.
LIGHTING: To optimize your lighting, start by throwing out your standard fluorescent bulbs! If you are limited on budget or stuck with fluorescent fixtures, get full spectrum bulbs designed for video. The ideal color temperature should be between 3,000 and 3,500 degrees Kelvin, and about 70 foot candles of intensity at the subject.
Furniture: A good conference table for telepresence should not be reflective, should keep participants properly positioned before the camera and include power and Ethernet jacks for collaborative work. A number of specialty furniture providers produce telepresence furniture, including AVTEQ and 2Allmedia. Wall Finishes, Treatments and Acoustic Treatment: You want a color scheme for your
era sitting on the table.
Lighting for video can involve as many as four lighting positions, the Key Light being the most important. For most multi-purpose conference rooms, a strong color-balanced Key Light supported by additional full spectrum lighting in the room will work well enough. Just remember: you don’t want regular meeting participants feeling like they’re in a television studio. A ceiling mounted visualizer allows you to share hand-generated graphics, documents, or physical objects with circuit board level detail.
Here are some additional options for an optimized broadcasting environment:
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TELEPRESENCE OPTIONS | Creating Telepresence Environments Training Room Telepresence PodiTO OPTIMIZE YOUR LIGHTING, START BY THROWING OUT YOUR um/Lectern & TraSTANDARD FLUORESCENT BULBS! IF YOU ARE LIMITED ON BUD- ditional Videoconferencing GET OR STUCK WITH FLUORESCENT FIXTURES, GET FULL SPECThis telepresence TRUM BULBS DESIGNED FOR VIDEO. THE IDEAL COLOR TEMPERA- classroom design is for an organization with TURE SHOULD BE BETWEEN 3,000 AND 3,500 DEGREES KELVIN, multiple geographically dispersed training AND ABOUT 70 FOOT CANDLES OF INTENSITY AT THE SUBJECT. locations. The design allows for instructors to use a telepresence podium/lectern to teach to one or more Key Light: Light shining on the subject Ceiling mounted lighting at 45° angle Color balanced with camera remote classrooms simultaneously. The design from the front. These lights are generally placed includes a custom-built Da-Lite Professional high and at the center, or to each side of the Beam Splitter Electrol ceiling-mounted projection screen that seating area if two are required. Aim them Display features both a standard screen for the front Camera hidden behind downward at a 45-degree angle to light the face beam splitter at projection of a remote videoconferencing locaeye-level without the eyebrow casting a shadow over the tion or data/video along with a 2nd extreme eye-sockets. low reflectance black velour background. The Ceiling mounted Table Touch panel visualizer capture controls black background absorbs light allowing the inFill Light: Lights shining on the subject from structor to appear as a volumetric image on a the front, but placed at a low angle to soften telepresence podium at the remote site(s). All shadows under the eyes and chin. the environmental basics for lighting, acoustics, Hair Light: Lights at the rear of the room, SmartBoard or camera placement, and color palette apply. White board above the subjects and aimed downward to help separate the subjects from the background. Backdrop lighting: Lights above and (if space allows) between the subject(s) and the background. Two lights are usually required, each aimed toward the opposite half of the background to evenly light it.
SPECIFIC ROOM LAYOUTS: Small Group Conference Room – Traditional Videoconferencing System with PTZ Camera The bottom border of the main video display should be approximately 44-46 inches from the ground depending on the height of the table with the top of the camera lens level with the bottom of the display to achieve good eye-line with the main seated participants. Video Ceiling mounted lighting at 45° angle Color balanced with camera
Small Group Beam Splitter Eye-contact system
Camera for local capture
VTC/Data Projection Screen/ Black Low Reflectance Background in custom Da-Lite Projection Electrol ceiling mounted housing
Interactive whiteboard Document camera
Conference Room — Pan/Tilt/Zoom Camera This conference room design features a trapezoidal table by INTEK. The shape allows everyone to be seen in a group meeting but has two seats at the head of the table for an optimized tight camera shot for one to two people. Each seat has data and power available. All the environmental basics for lighting, acoustics, camera placement, and color palette apply.
SMART Sympodium Telepresence Podium/Lectern
Instructor Podium Interactive Tablet Slaved to Interactive Whiteboard -Doubles as Room Control
Telepresence Podium/Lectern Storage
Lighting for Instructor Overhead DLP/LCD Projector
Camera
Camera mounted below monitors Video/Data
Video or Data
Ideally 52-65 inch displays. The bigger the better.
Hockey puck microphone
Touch panel controls
Video or Data Training Room Telepresence Podium/Video
Wire run
Camera Lighting
“Pro-Modifying” Existing Telepresence Environments
Ceiling mounted visualizer capture
Standard conference tables will be approximately 30 inches in height
Small Group system PTZ w/ flat panel displays
Small Group — Beam-Splitter Solutions For small group situations, companies such as Digital Video Enterprises and Telepresence Tech make solutions that hide the camera at eye-level behind a piece of silvered glass called a beam splitter. This gives remote participants true eye contact and hides the camera and its attendant psychological baggage. (In other words, no one is as likely to act like they’re “on-camera.”)
Ceiling mounted visualizer capture
Touch panel controls
SmartBoard or White board
Conference Room PTZ Camera w/ flat panel displays
Multi-Purpose Cisco CTS 3010 Group System – One of the more popular requests for “pro-modifying” existing telepresence group systems is to separate the table from the screen so that the room can be used as a traditional meeting room. Here is an illustrative floorplan of what a pro-modified Cisco CTS 3010 looks like with a custom table and five additional seats. Further pro-modifications can include improving the collaborative capabilities of the room with a ceiling-mounted visualizer to share documents and physical objects and a SMART Board to allow annotation of documents, creation of hand-generated graphics, and interactive whiteboarding between locations.
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Creating Telepresence Environments | TELEPRESENCE OPTIONS
ON-STAGE TELEPRESENCE
Integrated lighting system
Scree
Screen #2
n #1
Cisco TelePresence System
Scree
n #3
Camera
Custom Telepresence Table Cisco Phone
Ceiling mounted visualizer capture
SmartBoard or White board
On-Stage Telepresence can take the form of a live interactive presentation. A remote presenter can appear life-size and interact with local participants and free-floating digital content in multiple locations. Pre-recorded content can also be used to recreate anything from a one-person presentation to a complete theatrical production on the scale of the Grammy Awards.
Telepresence Group System Kits and Pro-modification
Polycom RPX Distance Learning Classroom with Stand-Up Presentation Area Here is a design that the Human Productivity Lab created for a “Pro-Modified” Polycom RPX with a stand-up presentation environment where an instructor can be captured more naturally standing at a lectern “teaching in the round.” This design has an additional camera to capture and instructor or student at an interactive whiteboard, which would be displayed on one of the four panels of the remote classroom’s video wall.
A Virtual Presenter (Left) is able to interact with a live presenter (right) in one or more remote locations around the world.
Document Replicator
Doubles as large fomat display & UI for AMX/Crestron programming Collaboration PC Shared PC with client's productivity, ERP and distance learning applications Powers the SMART Board and SMART Sympodium
Ceiling Mounted Camera
Removable podium with SMART Sympodium
Document Camera & Physical Object Visualizer VN-Matrix - High resolution image/video codec
Classroom Functionality Stand up presentation environment where the instructor can be captured standing at a podium using the primary RPX camera and/or presenting at the SmartBoard by a 5th camera codec in the environment. AMX/Crestron functionality delivered to the SmartBoard and Sympodium "Productized" learning and enhanced collaboration bundle can be deployed to other client sites for sitance learning or where improved collaboration capabilities are required. Content can be captured and archived to client's knowledge management platform.
Ceiling mounted Document Camera/ visualizer capture area
C:\Documents and Settings\Bryan\My Documents\Hellard Design\hsl\rpx_428m_floor_plan copy2.jpg
VGA cable for sharing laptop content
On-Stage Telepresence applications are designed to work in public performance areas such as concert venues, theatres, exhibition centres, nightclubs, marquees, large office environments, retail stores and TV studios. The cost to rent a MUSION on-stage experience starts at $40,000 / £25,000 per day excluding the videoconferencing platform.
"Productized" Learning and Enhanced Collaboration Bundle Rear Projection SMART Board Allows for inter-active whiteboarding/ annotation between sites
lighting. It’s usually boxed with hard panelling or dark draping along the sides and back of the system. The Eyeliner polymer screen sits on a 45° angle between the stage and the audience. At least one high-powered, high-definition video projector is mounted in front of the foil, projecting onto either the floor or ceiling depending on foil orientation.
Vendors include MUSION and Digital Video Enterprises. MUSION’s Eye-liner is shown in both examples. Eyeliner installations can be to up to 330 feet /100m wide, but standard apparatus tend to be approximately 13 ft – 23 ft / 4m - 7m wide and 13 ft – 23 ft / 4m – 7m deep. Typical image size from a single projector is approximately 16 ft / 5m wide by 9.5 ft / 3m high. The Eye-liner system incorporates a “performer’s stage” equipped with state-of-the-art LED
ABOUT THE AUTHORS Howard S. Lichtman is the President of the telepresence consultancy Human Productivity Lab which advises organizations on telepresence and visual collaboration strategies with a focus on organizational productivity and inter-company business. Bryan Hellard is President of Hellard Design, a telepresence and visual collaboration design firm and was one of the original architects of the TeleSuite, which became the Polycom RPX.
RESOURCES: Guidelines for Video Conference Room Acoustics – Cisco Systems http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/telepresence/endpoint/misc/user_guide/video_conferencing_room_acoustics_guidelines_ver01. pdf Videoconferencing Room Primer – Cisco Systems http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/telepresence/endpoint/misc/user_guide/video_conferencing_room_primer_ver02.pdf Integrators Reference manual for Polycom HDX Systems - Polycom http://supportdocs.polycom.com/PolycomService/support/global/documents/support/ setup_maintenance/products/video/hdx_irm. pdf Guidelines for Room Lighting: http://belle.netera.ca/docs/lighting.pdf Note: The size of the images in this design guide were limited by the available space in the magazine. To download a version of the design guide with full size illustrations please visit: http://www.HumanProductivityLab.com/ TelepresenceDesign
H e l l o, We are BrightCom. We design and manufacture fully integrated, processor based, and software driven, telepresence and video conferencing solutions. BrightCom offers the largest range of options to connect people, and their ideas from home offices, mobile devices, desktops, conference rooms, work spaces and telepresence suites simultaneously around the world.
One of a kind telepresence infrastructure... BrightCom’s Visual Collaboration System provides a robust and unique infrastructure for video conferencing and telepresence conferencing. Unlike other solutions, VCS is a single network appliance that can: Deliver communication in one package - Meeting administration, meeting scheduling, security, a complete set of data sharing and web conferencing features and NAT firewall traversal. Combine people, ideas and data - High definition video, standard definition video and audio broadcasts with multiple data broadcasts in a multi-screen layout that the meeting moderator can configure. Connect you to everyone - Connect to BrightCom endpoints, standards compliant conferencing systems and remote desktop and laptops. Endpoints display up to 16 video screens that can be seen by an unlimited number of participants.
BrightCom’s Visual Collaboration System: Screen shot of web-based environment. Video and data broadcasts are displayed and managed side by side.
A wide range of conferencing solutions... From personal video conferencing to life-like, fully immersive telepresence, BrightCom’s Lumina Telepresence and ClearView Video Conferencing Solutions can align perfectly with any business strategy.
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Lumina Telepresence: L37 without the optional private enclosure. Suited for 2 to 6 people for instant teamwork. Each solution requires the VCS.
BrightCom Tel: 877-483-9737 Email: sales@brightcom.com Website: www.brightcom.com
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For more information, please visit www.iformata.com or email: contactus@iformata.com.
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www.TelepresenceOptions.com/summit
Take Part in a Hands-On Demonstration of Telepresence and Visual Communications tools and technologies that allow your organization to: · Connect with Partners, Vendors, and Customers – without incurring expense of travel · Understand & Overcome Technical, Operational, and Cultural Obstacles · Leverage New Collaboration Applications and Managed Services · Maintain IP Security Between Disparate Networks/Organizations · Improve Organizational and Individual Productivity
· Operational Best Practices · Connecting with Customers – Retail and Video Customer Service · Quantify the Costs Savings, Measuring, and Tracking ROI
Chief Technology Officers Chief Training and HR Managers Chief Information Officers Telepresence Managers Chief Learning Officers Videoconferencing Managers Corporate Travel Managers Certification / Trainers Supply Chain Managers Chief Collaboration Officers Customer Support Managers Chief Productivity Officers Research & Development