Double Robotics unveils upgraded Double 2 telepresence robot

Double Robotics unveiled its upgraded telepresence robot, Double 2, at CES 2016. Designed with an iPad on a pole with a smart rolling base, it helps telecommuting workers have a presence in the office and meetings. With lateral stability for moving over uneven surfaces without falling over, it can move at a walking pace, 1.6 mph, and has a new 150-degree-wide-angle camera for a wider field of view. Priced at $2,499, the company is offering a bundle which includes the charging base, newer audio kit and brand new camera for $3,000.

The world may live in fear of a robot uprising, but the real world of autonomy remains pretty mundane. There are virtually no robots taking office jobs, but a handful of telepresence bots are making work-life balance a little more reasonable.

One such bot, Double Robotics' Double Robot, made waves a couple of years ago for its simple setup and ease of use. Basically an iPad (an iPad 2, Air or Air 2) on a stick with a smart rolling base, Double let telecommuting office workers have a sort of physical presence in the office and meetings. Their face appears on the iPad screen while they remotely guide the robot from home. When I reviewed it a couple of years ago, I was impressed, but I did see room for improvement.

Double 2, which Double Robotics unveiled on Wednesday at CES 2016, looks almost identical to the original Double, but has a number of critical improvements that could vastly improve the robot’s office utility.

Double Robotics' new Double 2 robot can roll over obstacles like wires without toppling over. Credit: Double Robotics

First of all, the robot now includes lateral stability, which means it can roll over small obstacles like thick extension cords, room separators and differing floor materials at almost any speed without toppling over. Double representatives showed me how the robot’s long, thin neck can now move from side-to-side in the base. This turns the iPad head into a kind of balancing pendulum, creating a counterbalance that keeps the whole thing from tipping over when one large wheel rolls over an obstacle while the other stays flat.

In addition, Double 2 can glide along almost twice as fast as the old telepresence robot. Double Robotics execs told me that, while traveling at 1.6 mph, it can now keep pace with someone walking normally through the office. That’s right, Double 2 is capable of the “walk and talk."

The last key feature enhancement is a new 150-degree wide-angle camera that sits above the iPad’s FaceTime camera and gives it a much wider field of view.

Robot time

Double Robotics gave me some hands on time with the pre-release hardware and software. Setup, which uses Wi-Fi to communicate with the robot, looked as simple as ever. As before, I controlled Double 2 with the arrow keys on the laptop.

We took the new Double Robotics Double 2 telepresence robot for a test drive in Mashable's offices. Credit: Mashable, Rill Causey

On the computer, I got a full-screen view of what the robot’s new $249 camera add-on could see. On the robot, the screen was filled with my face. I could, however, share my screen, if I wanted to show a presentation, instead. Though it wasn’t functional with this beta, the new software will finally let me simultaneously see the view from the forward-facing camera and the one pointed at the base. This is a welcome change considering how often, with the original robot, I wasn’t sure if I was rolling into something or not.

The Double 2 camera kit give the robot and you a much wider field of view. Credit: Double Robotics

The robot is now demonstrably faster. Every time I held down shift and hit the forward button Double 2 would, after a very brief pause, dash forward. Thankfully, it was still quite responsive, so I could stop it before hitting something. As for that pause, it's something you'd only notice if you were, as I was, staring at the robot while controlling -- not a typical use scenario.

Most impressive, though, is the new lateral stability. I rolled Double 2 over an extension cord and a thick piece of rubber at slow and high speeds and with both wheels and then just one and it handled it all like a pro.

Still pricey

At $2,499, Double Robotics is clearly priced for business (that price does not include the iPad). Also, you’ll still pay extra for the charging base, newer audio kit and brand new camera. At least Double Robotics is offering a $3,000 bundle for everything.

Double 2 starts shipping today.