iRobot Ava 500 is ideal when freedom of movement, location spontaneity and the embodiment of the remote user are needed to achieve an even more personal degree of collaboration within a globally dispersed workforce. Some instances of this include: remote team collaboration, executive management, remote corporate training and presentation and tour and inspections. iRobot Ava 500 brings together Cisco TelePresence EX Series personal system with iRobot’s autonomous mobility platform to deliver pervasive collaboration. The Cisco TelePresence EX60 personal system and Cisco Aironet 1600 Series wireless access points enable enterprise-grade security and interoperability with any standards-based video collaboration environment, while iRobot’s autonomous mobility platform intelligently navigates facilities and office environments while safely maneuvering to avoid bumping into people and other obstacles.
Users can schedule and control the robot using a familiar, easy to use iPad interface, and destinations are chosen simply by clicking on a location and point of interest (person’s name, specific room, or facility location). This removes the challenge of driving in unfamiliar buildings that might be thousands of miles away. The robot simply takes you there. Then when your meeting is complete, the robot automatically returns to its docking station to recharge.
Ava 500 also allows the user to be more personally present, delivering a more natural level of human-robot interaction. The robot moves in all directions just like a human would, and the Cisco telepresence solution allows for excellent high-definition video and audio quality, so communications are crisp and clear.
In order to provide a more personal experience, iRobot Ava 500 is able to adjust the height of the display to accommodate for both seated and standing interactions. The robot can adjust from a height of 52.5” (133cm) to 64.5” (164cm) to give the user a “seat at the table” and allow for conversations to continue outside of offices and conference rooms – into the hallways and other locations, including manufacturing facilities, labs and corporate training rooms.
iRobot Ava 500 fills specific needs for video collaboration that go beyond traditional fixed environments like TelePresence rooms and desktops. As travel costs rise, and business becomes increasingly global, we are excited about the expanding potential for Ava 500 moving forward.
