Anybots‘ telepresence business robots have now begun shipping, offering remote control of a balancing robot with two-way audio and video. Billed as a challenge to business travel, Anybots went up for pre-order back in July 2010; those customers will start to get their ‘bots this week, while new orders will ship in March.

There’s also a new high definition zoom for the 5-megapixel onboard camera, and support for WiFi b/g/n. Anybots reckons battery life is up to eight hours, and they can shuttle around at up to 3.5mph.

Collision avoidance and a collapsable design make for easier transportation, and the whole thing is controlled by a regular Mac (with PC support due in March). Yours for $15,000.

Press Release:

Anybots Starts Shipping Business Robots

Anybots Ship with a Slew of New Features, Business Travel Changes Forever

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., February 1, 2011 – 8:00 a.m. PT

News Facts:
· Anybots, maker of telepresence business robots, today announced that it has begun shipping product.

· Customers who pre-ordered an Anybot will begin receiving their orders this week. Customers who order today will begin receiving their units in March. To order an Anybot, go to www.anybots.com/#buy.

· The Anybot is the first professional-quality telepresence robot to allow you to work remotely through a simple web interface.

· Here’s how it works:

o You are sitting on your sofa, enjoying your morning coffee.

o At the same time, you can be the eyes and ears on the ground at a remote office or factory via an Anybot.

o You control the Anybot from anywhere in the world via the web, letting you work effectively and personally without ever having to step on an airplane.

o You can leap into an Anybot in just one-click of the mouse and immediately be interacting with your team.

o And, when you are done, you can jump out and be back on the couch enjoying your coffee in no time. Meanwhile, another colleague located somewhere else around the globe, can leap into the Anybot for a meeting at the office.

· The Anybots telepresence business robot will ship with new features:

o High definition zoom

o Seamless roaming on wireless

o Two-way streaming video

o Touch screen enabled Wi-Fi configuration

· Anybots also feature:

o High quality audio and clear, stabilized-video (five megapixel high-resolution video camera) for a great interactive experience

o Two wheels so it can run at 3.5 mph to keep up with groups of people and provide a safe way to get around that prevents damage to walls and other objects

o Collision avoidance technology that guides the Anybot around obstacles, such as doors

o A lightweight design (35 pounds) to be easily pushed, carried or adjusted to fit in a car seat

o A professional and friendly appearance so people pay attention and take you seriously

o Easy and inexpensive installation, all you need is Wi-Fi and a computer (currently available on the Mac and PC-compatible by March)

o The ability to sit in a corner when idle and charge

o Sharing capabilities so it can be used by company users at a time

o Eight hours of battery life and support for 802.11n Wi-Fi

Quotes:
Attributable to Trevor Blackwell, Founder & CEO, Anybots
After years of work and months of beta testing, we’re looking forward to seeing the various uses the market comes up with for Anybots. Beyond just letting you be in two places at once – which changes the world of the business traveler – we’re seeing a lot of use with industry verticals. Everyone from a cookie manufacturer looking to manage remote factories to a CEO who simply can’t make it to every meeting in person – teleporting via an Anybot has already given these people a new perspective on work.

Attributable to Phil Libin, Founder & CEO, Evernote
After a few months of beta testing for Anybots, I’m completely in love with it. At first I thought the bot would pay for itself if it could just replace one international trip, but now I realize that the real value is letting me preserve spontaneous interactions at the office even when I’m thousands of miles away. I can jump into the bot at any time and work casually with my team. There’s no need to schedule formal meetings or herd everyone around a speaker phone. It’s easy to use and it keeps me connected. And it’s got a laser beam attached to its head – which, let’s be honest, is just good product design.

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How much would you pay for an iPhone remote control? Peel is hoping the answer extends to at least a few hundred; the company is following the unusual approach of putting its first ZigBee-based universal remote systems up for silent auction, testing the water to see just what users reckon it’s all worth.

The Peel system uses an IR dongle – called the Peel Fruit – which hooks up via a ZigBee connection to an ethernet dongle – called the Peel Cable – on your router, and controls your A/V equipment via a custom app on the iPhone. By using the network rather than some sort of plug-in wireless dongle that attaches to the smartphone itself, you can be in a different room and still control your kit.

It’s certainly more complex than rival systems from Griffin and Gear4, but the question remains whether would-be users will pay a premium for Peel’s setup. The company hints that comparable universal remotes range from $250 to $350, though the Griffin and Gear4 systems will be $80 and $100 respectively. The auction process ends January 31, with regular ordering apparently beginning sometime shortly after that.

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• Peel Fruit turns iPhone into show-suggesting universal remote
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By Andrew Liszewski

While devices like Sphero or Parrot’s AR.Drone that use the iPhone or iPod Touch as a remote control usually just rely on the device’s built-in wifi or Bluetooth, these AppToyz, from a UK-based company called MediaSauce, use a cheap add-on dongle to communicate over RF I assume.

And instead of interfacing with the dock connector on the bottom of the iPhone or iPod Touch, the AppToyz dongle plugs into the headphone jack which seems to be standard procedure for third-party remote control hardware like this. As a result, when available sometime this year, they’ll be a bit more affordable than something like the AR.Drone with an RC helicopter selling for ~$80 (£50) and an RC car that’s a bit cheaper at ~$47 (£30).

[ Pocket-lint - Apple iPhone, now controller for your RC toys ]

Desk Pets to roll out iOS-controlled TankBot this June originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Jan 2011 00:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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At CES and the NAIAS in Detroit this year we saw ever more powerful smartphone integration, but nothing like this. Nokia Asia teamed up with two Chinese coders, An Jiaxuan and an unnamed friend, to whip up a C7 app that controls a BMW 1 Series. They said it took them only 20 days to get things ready but we’re thinking adding the remote controls to the car itself must have added some further time to that. The result is in the video below, a short test drive that Nokia promises “isn’t special effects.” See for yourself and let us know if you spot a meatbag driver hiding in there somewhere.

Continue reading BMW gets Nokia C7 remote control, James Bond can eat his heart out (video)

BMW gets Nokia C7 remote control, James Bond can eat his heart out (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 11:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia’s C7 proved a respectable business handset when we reviewed it, but then we didn’t try remotely-controlling a BMW with the Symbian smartphone. That’s just what two engineers from Nokia Asia have apparently managed, taking just twenty days to create the necessary software and remote control hardware to operate a 1-Series’ steering, brakes and accelerator, as well as all the regular gadgets inside.

Video demo after the cut

We’re not quite sure why the duo did it, beyond them apparently wanting to prank a poor parking attendent by driving off the car he’s just about to get in and park, but we won’t argue that it’s a cool hack. Not something we expect to see in the Ovi Store any time soon, however.

[via MyNokiaBlog]

TiVo has released its TiVo Premiere for iPad remote control app, a free download [iTunes link] which turns your iOS slate into not only a remote but an EPG guide and recording management station. The app also packs integration with Facebook and Twitter, for easier commenting on broadcast shows.

Both one-off and season pass recording scheduling is possible, as is managing the to-do list. Users can also review their recorded content and remotely begin playback from the iPad, while keeping the currently-showing program full-screen on their TV.

If you’ve a Netflix or Amazon Video on Demand account, you can also browse those streaming services from the iPad as well. You’ll need a a TiVo Premiere or TiVo Premiere XL box, as well as an iPad obviously, in order to make use of the free app.

With all the Kinect hacks we’re seeing, it probably doesn’t matter whether gamers are leaving their motion-control sensors to gather dust or otherwise; there are enough DIY-addicts buying it to make the peripheral a success. Latest is Asura’s V-Sido remote app for the G-Robots GR-001 ‘bot, which can follow your movements for some aerobics-style mimicry.

Video demo after the cut

Usually the GR-001 is controlled via a PlayStation-style remote, but this new Kinect hack makes it a whole lot more direct than flailing your fingers around. No word on when – or if – they’ll be releasing the software publicly, but it’s just another sign of Kinect’s flexibility.

[via Robots Dreams]

The awesome Kinect hacks continue, and BLITZ have delivered what could turn out to be one of the more interesting adaptations of Microsoft’s motion-gaming peripheral. They’ve figured out a way to get the Kinect sensor-bar to work with Flash-based interfaces via Node.js, opening the door to Flash, Silverlight and Unity apps being directly controlled by Kinect-recognized motions.

Video demo after the cut

While we’ve seen integrations of Kinect and DIY apps before, this generic link promises to take the headache out of hooking up the Microsoft peripheral. The prototype they’ve thrown together uses hand gestures to navigate a TV UI, something that could be pretty useful if you’ve ever been given a headache by a button-encrusted remote control.

BLITZ is expected to release the code imminently, at which point we’re expecting a flood of Kinect-enabled HTPC apps. More details in the video below.

Click here to view the embedded video.

[via MAKE]

We’ve a big soft-spot for helicopters here at SlashGear, and while we’d prefer Igarashi Design’s single-person ‘copter concept to spawn a full-sized model (and allow us to whirr above rush-hour traffic), we’ll make do with Rotor Concept‘s scaled-down R/C version. On show at CES 2011 last week, the futuristic chopper has over 19-inch blade-span and beams back live video to the remote control.

Video demo after the cut

Flight time is around 15 minutes on a full charge of the 1,500 mAh battery, but this is no toy. Range is quoted at up to a mile, there’s 3-axis gyro control and the ‘chopper can reach up to 2,000ft high. Despite all that, Rotor Concept reckons it’ll take most users just 30 minutes to get the hang of flying it.

MAKE stopped by the stand at CES last week and found Rotor Concept were offering the ‘chopper for $299 as a promo. It’s available to order now via their site, priced at $499.

[via Hobby Media]