telepresence robot

[tel-uh-prez-uhns roh-bot]

noun

1. a robot typically consisting of a motorized stand with a mounted screen that streams audio and video of someone in a remote location so that person can participate in a teleconference while piloting the movement of the robot.

Word History and Origins

Origin of telepresence robot¹

First recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

Researchers from Cornell and Brown University have developed a souped-up telepresence robot that responds automatically and in real-time to a remote user's movements and gestures made in virtual reality.

Read more on Science Daily

Wong was also the first person to visit the White House in cyborg form, attending the Americans with Disabilities Act 25th anniversary reception as a “telepresence robot” — like an iPad mounted on top of a Segway, with the spatial awareness of a Roomba — in 2015.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

It was sort of useful as a type of telepresence robot to keep tabs on my kids, who get home from school several hours before I finish work in my home office.

Read more on The Verge

In September 2020, Ahumada and Riek received a $1.2 million grant from the National Science Foundation to develop a telepresence robot with features specifically designed for remote learning for children.

Read more on Science Magazine

In June, US robotics firm OhmniLabs and carmaker Volkswagen unveiled Champ, a telepresence robot with a two-way TV screen and speakers and microphone that can connect to someone in another location.

Read more on BBC