Beam
Beam is a telepresence robotic system that can "teleport" you to a remote location, allowing you to move around and interact with people. It is easy to drive and has a large display to improve face-to-face, or screen-to-face, communication.
- Creator
(Beam was acquired by Blue Ocean Robotics from Suitable Technologies in 2019, and is now part of GoBe Robots.)
- Year
- 2011
- Country
- United States 🇺🇸
- Categories
- Features
More videos
Did you know?
The latest Beam model, BeamPro 2, has a giant 24-inch touchscreen display and a neck that is height adjustable.
History
In 2012, Suitable Technologies, a spinoff from Willow Garage that had been working on a telepresence robot, unveiled the Beam Remote Presence System, priced at US $16,000 and designed for offices and conference settings. It has a wheeled base and two posts that support a screen, which is a bit bigger than a person's head. It includes multiple Wi-Fi radios, microphones, and cameras (some models also have a 4G radio). It is driven via client software, installed on the remove user's computer. In 2014, the company announced the Beam+, a smaller, cheaper robot for home users. In 2019, Blue Ocean Robotics, a Danish robotics company, announced the acquisition of Suitable's Beam telepresence robot business.
Specs
- Overview
Beam Enhanced model: 10-inch LCD screen, HD camera plus dedicated navigation camera, four-microphone array. Two-way streaming audio and video. Able to safely navigate both spacious and confined environments. Assisted-docking feature. ADA (Americans With Disabilities Act) certified for ramps and thresholds. Controlled with phone or desktop application.
- Status
Discontinued
- Year
2011
- Website
- Width
- 31.3 cm
- Height
- 134.4 cm
- Length
- 41.7 cm
- Weight
- 27.2 kg
- Speed
- 2 km/h (max)
- Sensors
Wide-angle view and navigation cameras. Four-microphone array.
- Degrees of Freedom (DoF)
- 2
- Materials
Reinforced polymer
- Compute
PC hardware platform, Intel Celeron 1.8 GHz dual-core CPU, 4 GB DDR3 RAM, two Wi-Fi radios, one speaker
- Software
Ubuntu Linux OS. Client and app available for Windows 7/8/10 and Mac OS X, as well as Android and iOS.
- Power
12-V 20-Ah sealed lead-acid battery, 8 hours of operation
- Cost
- $2,140 (Beam Standard), $4,990 (Beam Enhanced)
