iRobot unveiled AVA, their technology demonstrator, at CES 2011. AVA, which stands for "Avatar", is an autonomous robot equipped with Primesense cameras (similar to the
Kinect),
laser range-finders,
sonars, and even the old-fashioned bumpers.
Although the computational-heavy sensor data processing and navigation is done internally by AVA's on-board computer, the high-level control is left to whatever device is connected to its head. In the video below, you can see AVA being controlled by an iPad.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wE4js_SxdNw
The future of AVA is uncertain, but it could be immediately useful for telepresence. Nevertheless, iRobot does not want to limit the public's vision of the robot to a single application.
Via
BotJunkie.