Cisco ūmi, a unique consumer product that brings HD video communication into the home, will change the way family and friends interact. The recently launched Cisco ūmi utilises an existing HD television and broadband internet connection to give users a video experience that is so realistic, they will feel as if they were in the same room as family or friends miles away. Video conferencing has long been associated as a business tool, reserved for a corporate boardroom environment, however with the launch of ūmi, Cisco telepresence will aim to break into the global home entertainment market.

Cisco ūmi, which comes with an HD camera, a console and remote, takes the successful elements of Cisco TelePresence technology that has transformed the way businesses communicate, to deliver an unrivalled video experience with exceptional video and audio performance. The ūmi interface, allows users to make ūmi calls, manage contacts, create and access video messages, and even record videos which they can post on Facebook and YouTube. Furthermore, Cisco ūmi also allows users to communicate with non-ūmi users by utilising existing webcam set-ups and Google video chat.

Despite negative press regarding the cost of the product, which reports suggest will be a major barrier to its success, industry experts are more positive about the quality that it delivers. It’s this quality that Cisco believe the market is ready for, with users becoming frustrated with the problems encountered with free applications. As more and more consumers turn towards HD and even 3D Television, the natural progression is towards high quality video communications in the home. But the vision for Cisco ūmi will go beyond just bringing family and friends together, which John Chambers, Chairman and CEO of Cisco explains:

“We envision a future where technologies like this will play a role in connecting consumers with businesses to enable the delivery of new services, ranging from education, to health care, to financial services – to the home.”

It’s this vision that is evident in South Korea, with Cisco’s smart city experiment. Sogndo, a green sustainable city being developed on 1,500 acres of reclaimed land, is a huge telepresence experiment. Every home will be fitted out with Cisco TelePresence technology and residents will be able to communicate with family, friends, work colleagues, businesses and health services.

With the launch of Cisco ūmi and also Cisco’s social experiment in South Korea, they are continuing to set the standard for the future of video communications in the same way that they have for many years in the business world. If the way people communicate, not only with friends and family, shifts towards a unified video approach in everyday life, what will be the impact? Will people become more productive? Will more lives be saved? Will governments become better? Will people become more reclusive? What will be the impact on businesses such as high street retailers, restaurants and bars?

The answer to these questions lie somewhere in the future, but for now, Cisco are showing us the art of the possible!

A number of innovative robotic products were showcased at the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) earlier this year in Las Vegas. CES 2011 brought together over 140,000 industry professionals who were able to see the very latest technological products in the 2,700 companies exhibiting at the event. Among the most popular highlights out of this year’s event, were the new telepresence robot’s by VGo, Anybots and iRobot.

VGo provides you with a virtual presence having the ability to move around freely in a distant location without being there. The knowledge is often described as having “your own avatar inside a remote location.” VGo’s telepresence robot allows you to go beyond the boundaries of traditional video conferencing technology and also be there in a physical sense! At a reported expense of around $6,000 it appears to be the most affordable solution available on the market, although customers also have to take out an additional yearly service contract at $1,200.

Silicon Valley start-up company Anybots, have just released their telepresence QB robot, having a webcam that shows the controller’s face, meaning you can have a virtual presence even though you could be miles away. The QB robot, aimed at the business world, officially went on sale at the beginning of February this current year, at a cost of $15,000. The QB is hailed as the first professional-quality telepresence robot to permit executives to operate remotely through a simple interface.

iRobot, best known as being the maker of the Roomba and Scooba lines for cleaning robots, have developed a functional prototype that uses sensors similar to those utilized on Microsoft’s Kinect, for seemless navigation. It moves using wheels and may be controlled using an iPad installed on its adjustable head. AVA, short for “avatar,” has two PrimeSense sensors in addition to microphones, speakers, laser rangefinders, and bump sensors for obstacles which suit the robot’s primary purpose: video telepresence. Although in a development phase, what skilled professionals are most looking forward to is always that iRobot AVA comes with an apps platform, allowing developers to incorporate new functionality into the interface. iRobot stress that product is greatly still a prototype and there’s no word on the launch date or price just yet….

So, the world of Cisco telepresence and video communications will continue to develop at ground-breaking speed. No more will CEO’s need to make surprise visits to some of their under-performing locations. They can see, interact and find out what’s going on without ever having to leave any office! It all sounds to good to be real and it’s still too soon to see if telepresence robots will revolutionise the way in which we communicate and whether these companies can really develop a marketplace for the telepresence robot.

Whether you’re a sceptic or not, telepresence robots are here, and also the presence of VGo, Anybots and iRobot at CES 2011 signals the start of the next generation of telepresence solutions, where our avatar robots will ‘virtually’ transport us all around the globe!