Try not to be alarmed if you see an iPad wheeling around the hospital, it’s just a doctor on rounds. 
Double Robotics has created a mobile mount for the iPad that allows for a fully mobile teleconferencing, also known as telepresence. It’s an interesting innovation for physicians and NPs who could use the technology to be fully mobile while teleconferencing with colleagues or patients. Here’s how it works. The iPad simply attaches to a mount at the end of a pole that sits atop two gyroscopically-balanced wheels. Using a separate iPad, users run the Double Robotics app to see through the mounted iPad’s front-facing camera and control the unit’s wheels. Users can also adjust the height of the iPad mount so they can be at eye level with the person they are talking to whether he or she is seated, standing, or in bed. There are other telepresence products in the market, but Double’s unit stands out in one of the most important categories, price. Customers can order the robot unit, excluding iPads, for the special preorder price of $2,000. The offer goes until June 6, after which the price jumps to $2,499. It’s a bargain when compared to iRobot’s Ava, which costs closer to $10,000. Double already shipped the first 100 units to customers who preordered on the company website, with an additional 1,000 units scheduled to be shipped by September. With telemedicine gaining popularity in the medical field, the next logical leap would be to allow teleconferencing doctors the ability to navigate hospital corridors and round on patients. The idea sounds good on paper, but how it works in real life remains to be seen. I can imagine moving through crowded corridors with a limited field of vision could get tricky, especially if there are kids walking around. Keep an eye out.
Double Robotics has created a mobile mount for the iPad that allows for a fully mobile teleconferencing, also known as telepresence. It’s an interesting innovation for physicians and NPs who could use the technology to be fully mobile while teleconferencing with colleagues or patients. Here’s how it works. The iPad simply attaches to a mount at the end of a pole that sits atop two gyroscopically-balanced wheels. Using a separate iPad, users run the Double Robotics app to see through the mounted iPad’s front-facing camera and control the unit’s wheels. Users can also adjust the height of the iPad mount so they can be at eye level with the person they are talking to whether he or she is seated, standing, or in bed. There are other telepresence products in the market, but Double’s unit stands out in one of the most important categories, price. Customers can order the robot unit, excluding iPads, for the special preorder price of $2,000. The offer goes until June 6, after which the price jumps to $2,499. It’s a bargain when compared to iRobot’s Ava, which costs closer to $10,000. Double already shipped the first 100 units to customers who preordered on the company website, with an additional 1,000 units scheduled to be shipped by September. With telemedicine gaining popularity in the medical field, the next logical leap would be to allow teleconferencing doctors the ability to navigate hospital corridors and round on patients. The idea sounds good on paper, but how it works in real life remains to be seen. I can imagine moving through crowded corridors with a limited field of vision could get tricky, especially if there are kids walking around. Keep an eye out.
