ORLANDO, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--At InfoComm today, iRobot Corp. (NASDAQ: IRBT), a leader in delivering robotic technology-based solutions, announced the company has signed a joint marketing agreement and is working in close alliance with Cisco to bring the enterprise-grade iRobot Ava 500 video collaboration robot to market. The robot blends together iRobot’s autonomous navigation with Cisco’s TelePresence to enable people working off-site to participate in meetings and presentations where movement and location spontaneity are important. The new robot is also designed to enable mobile visual access to manufacturing facilities, laboratories, customer experience centers and other remote facilities in a supply chain.
With Ava 500, a remote worker sitting in front of a standards-based video collaboration system can meet with colleagues in an office setting or take part in experiences, like a facility tour, that would otherwise be difficult or impossible from afar. It enables a remote user in New York to travel the halls, meeting with colleagues in Paris, Hong Kong and San Francisco “on the fly” just as he or she would if physically in that location.
To see Ava 500 in action, click here.
To create Ava 500, iRobot enhanced its Ava mobile robotics platform with Cisco’s TelePresence EX60 personal video endpoint. Used by thousands of workers globally, this endpoint has traditionally been a desktop solution. By mounting the EX60’s 21.5-inch HD resolution screen atop the mobile robotics platform, the solution builds on the values of telepresence by extending the “power of in-person” beyond fixed environments – enabling freedom of movement, location spontaneity and the embodiment of the remote user thousands of miles away.
“iRobot is excited to work with Cisco to bring this next generation of telepresence to businesses worldwide,” said Youssef Saleh, vice president and general manager of iRobot’s Remote Presence business unit. “iRobot has been successful in introducing autonomous remote presence platforms to hospitals. Ava 500 will unlock new markets and applications for telepresence in the workplace.”
“From the browser to the boardroom, Cisco is committed to improving communications, relationships, and productivity by helping people meet face-to-face over distances,” said Snorre Kjesbu, vice president and general manager, Cisco Collaboration Technology Group. “The iRobot Ava 500 is a perfect example of using Cisco’s portfolio of high-definition video collaboration solutions to innovate and expand the reach of telepresence.”
How it works
The remote user schedules and controls Ava 500
using a familiar iPad® interface, selecting his or her destination by
tapping a location on a map or by choosing a room or employee name. An
available robot is then activated to “take” the user where they want to
go. The user can choose whether to make the trip from the charging
station to selected location in either “private” mode—where the screen
appears blank—or in “public” mode—where the user’s face is displayed. If
public mode is chosen, the user can see and be seen, and even stop to
have an ad-hoc hallway conversation with a colleague. When the session
is complete, the Ava 500 automatically returns to its charging station.
Unique features
Key differentiators of Ava 500 include:
- Autonomous navigation. Ava 500 employs “autonomous navigation,” which means there is no need to “drive” the robot, so it requires little training to operate and the user is free to concentrate on the task at hand. iRobot’s mobile robotics platform maps its own environment so it can intelligently and safely self-navigate busy, real-world enterprise environments like offices, manufacturing floors and laboratories without bumping into people or objects.
- Interoperability and enterprise-grade security. Ava 500 uses both the Cisco TelePresence EX60 personal unit and Cisco Aironet 1600 Series wireless access points to enable enterprise-grade security and interoperability in any standards-based video collaboration environment.
Primary anticipated uses
Ava 500 is specifically intended
for the enterprise market*. Use cases include:
- Remote team collaboration: allows those working off-site to more personally participate within highly collaborative teams
- Executive management: the robot allows those managing satellite teams to be more personally present and able to move throughout an office environment
- Tours and inspections: allows mobile access to areas including manufacturing facilities, labs, customer experience centers and supply chain facilities
- Remote corporate training/presentations: the robot allows for a more personal and interactive approach to remote corporate training and presentations, where the instructor can approach and have 1:1 discussions with individual students
Availability
Ava 500 is targeted for availability from
select Cisco partners in early calendar year 2014. iRobot and Cisco will
be exhibiting and demonstrating the robot at the InfoComm 2013
Conference and Expo from June 12-14 in Orlando (booths #1687 and #2743).
Supporting Resources:
About iRobot Corp.
iRobot
designs and builds robots that make a difference. The company’s home
robots help people find smarter ways to clean, its defense & security
robots protect those in harm’s way, and its remote presence robots
enable virtual presence from anywhere in the world. iRobot’s robots
feature iRobot Aware® robot intelligence systems, proprietary technology
incorporating advanced concepts in navigation, mobility, manipulation
and artificial intelligence. For more information about iRobot, please
visit www.irobot.com.
For iRobot Investors
Certain statements made in this press
release that are not based on historical information are forward-looking
statements which are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. This press release
contains express or implied forward-looking statements relating to,
among other things, iRobot Corporation’s expectations concerning product
availability, product performance and features and strategic alliances.
These statements are neither promises nor guarantees, but are subject to
a variety of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our
control, which could cause actual results to differ materially from
those contemplated in these forward-looking statements. Existing and
prospective investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these
forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof.
iRobot Corporation undertakes no obligation to update or revise the
information contained in this press release, whether as a result of new
information, future events or circumstances or otherwise. For additional
disclosure regarding these and other risks faced by iRobot Corporation,
see the disclosure contained in our public filings with the Securities
and Exchange Commission including, without limitation, our most recent
Annual Report on Form 10-K.
* This product is not intended for use in hospitals as it is not FDA approved.
iPad is a registered trademark of Apple Inc. iRobot is not affiliated with Apple Inc.
