If Virtual Reality is about ‘being’ in a simulated place that doesn’t exist physically then Telepresence is about ‘being’ in a real place other than where you are physically. You could call them two sides of the same coin and the latter is going through just as much of a revolution as the former.
Witness the ‘Ad campaign [that] enables anyone to spend 3 minutes as a robot in Italy‘ –
It’s quite amazing to think a guy in New York can carry a bag for a random lady in Italy! “Could telepresence robots become a more common sight on our streets?”, asks Springwise. I really hope they do, but I can’t imagine myself being comfortable with hundreds of strangers eyeballing me as I trundle, virtually, down the street đŸ˜‰
On a more serious note, one might wonder if we’re witnessing the birth of the disturbing future depicted in the Bruce Willis movie ‘Surrogates’ –
