Another super-short great video shot at The Summer EVCOM 2022. I was having my lunch when I had ‘someone’ coming around to say HI. I though it was a awesome and fun idea so I interviewed Sanford Dickert of Pilot Presence about his 3 main challenges for the presence device! I also had a go at piloting it in their office in London. Brilliant!! This is what he said:

“The company is providing sales and rentals of these devices which are called smart presences devices. They provide individuals in a remote location access to another location without leaving their desk and creating a much more live and engaging interface because the device moves. It’s kind of a funny thing to say, but until you use it, it’s really kind of funny to describe.

Three challenges:

Challenge number 1  – Actually getting people to think that it isn’ t just Skype on a stick. Truthfully what it is, it allows you to do the typical non verbal communications that usually happen,turning, looking at someone, staring at them appropriately (just like I’ve done now). The device allows that kind of gross movement  and is beginning to extend to other areas.

Two – Sticker shock. Well, the device itself is seventeen thousand dollars US, thirty-five hundred per annum just to have networking and software maintenance updates. It’s a little pricey. So one of the things that we have been doing is offering rental opportunities on a day, week and monthly basis.

And then thirdly, it’s basically awareness because everyone goes “WAIT! it’s a Robot!”  No unfortunately it’s not a robot cause robot usually usually means autonomy,the device would move on its own. As you can see the only way this device would move is if i push it. The only way it moves is when I log in  and actually are driving it or piloting it. So the funny part about it is that it is a proxy of the person that is navigating it. It’s equivalent to calling an automobile a robot because the automobile can’t auto park, it can’t auto drive just yet and so it’s yet a robot.

This is a device, a smart presence device!”

To get in touch with Sanford, go to www.pilotpresence.com/