UGVs at Microsoft Ignite #MsIgnite

UGV or Unmanned ground vehicles is a military term for An unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) is a vehicle that operates while in contact with the ground and without an onboard human presence. UGVs can be used for many applications where it may be inconvenient, dangerous, or impossible to have a human operator present. Generally, the vehicle will have a set of sensors to observe the environment, and will either autonomously make decisions about its behavior or pass the information to a human operator at a different location who will control the vehicle through teleoperation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unmanned_ground_vehicle

 

Sounds quite serious but it’s true in a way. Microsoft has a couple of robots that will be roaming around Microsoft Ignite operated from a distance. In my case form the other side of the Atlantic Ocean in Stockholm, Sweden. That is in a straight line a distance of 7488.70 km (4653.26 miles).

The operation of the robot is handled using a PC, I haven’t yet tried it out but I will in a couple of hours. The time difference will take it’s toll since its 11 PM over here and I will get control over the robot in three hours from now at 2 AM and will run it for a couple of hours.

The robot comes from Suitable Technologies https://www.suitabletech.com/ and is a BeamPro.

Check out this Video to see what they look like Patch and Switch – Interactive Remote Experience 

This might sound like another gadget that techies like, but imagine when the prices of this things go down. (I don’t know the price of this but I assume it’s expensive.)

Let’s say some child is recovering from some illness, with a remote operated robot he/she could still interact with her friends and teachers at school. Universities could have professors giving classes all over the world. Doctors could help each other in a completely new way.

Think of all the minefields across the world, radioactive environments the list goes on and on.

I am proud to be a little part of that development this week when I wheel myself around the Microsoft Ignite conference.

When technology helps people is when technology is at its best.

To my friends in #TheKrewe see you tonight 🙂