Double Robotics Blog

CESA 10, an agency based in Chippewa Falls, provides services for school districts.

Last year it received a Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction grant to improve literacy of students with disabilities in the five school districts that include Bloomer and Lake Holcombe. The districts were selected for the program based on student achievement data.

A trainer was flown in to help, and over a 10-day period the trainer visited the five districts. Webinars were also used. The trainer then flew out of Wisconsin.

The cost: $30,000.

Lindamood-Bell told CESA about the robot program. So the agency switched to “Lucky” for its second year of grants from the DPI.

“This year, with the robot, we’re spending less than $10,000,” Margenau said.

To read more, please visit this link: http://bit.ly/1xYSCSM

We'll be at the 2015 International CES January 6-9 in booth #72440. This is in the robotics "TechZone", next to 3D Printing, Smart Home, and Wearables.

Come by and say hello, test drive a Double, and see our new accessory that we'll be announcing!

VirtualSC is a free state-sponsored online program serving students currently attending public, private and home schools in grades 7-12 and Adult Education Programs. They are using Double to provide schools that need teachers specializing in certain subject areas. With the Double, these off-site instructors can help out in the classrooms without the hassle of traveling to the schools, especially those in rural areas.

Currently, VirtualSC is testing Double out in two locations. "I feel like she was actually standing in front of us, as if she was here in real life and it wasn't like we were talking to a regular robot," says Toni, one of the Lead Academy students. Rodney Johnson, a Lead Academy principal was delighted to see the robot in the classroom. "It was really neat and just seeing it move around the classroom really exceeded my expectations."

Watch the video here:

If you ever visit Portalarium in Austin, Texas, you might see a Double roaming around. 

Richard Garriott, Portalarium's CEO & private astronaut, uses the Double almost every day to communicate with his team. From his home in New York, Garriott will call into his Double first thing in the morning and stay logged into his robot throughout the day. "It's so close to being there, that we often forget if for certain meetings if I was present physically or 'tele-robotically'," says Garriott. Executive Producer, Starr Long, believes that Double is the best solution for them. "It would be impossible to do our projects without something like the Double." 

In years past, The Lindamood-Bell program would send an employee to schools all around the nation to help teachers tailor reading programs for their students. By replacing that person with a Double, it's saved Dunseith Elementary $75,000.

(Rebecca Ward, Dunseith Elementary Principal) "It's a robot. It's something that they aren't use to, but by being able to interact with that robot, it seems to help them focus a little more on the material they are suppose to be doing.

The schools robot coach also mentors schools in Honduras. Dunseith's principal says like many rural schools around America this gives them the ability to get the same teacher support as a large city. 

To watch the video and read the full article, please visit this link: http://www.kxnet.com/story/26671988/dunseith-welcomes-robot-coach

We're excited to announce version 2.0 of the Double app! The app is now live in the App Store. The previous version (1.6) is not compatible with iOS 8, so please update your app when you update your iOS.

This update is focused on improving the driving experience. High quality video is now possible and is automatically enabled on newer iPads! The driver can pinch to zoom or capture a full-resolution photo. This helps tremendously with reading whiteboards. There's a "Night Vision" mode that slows down the shutter speed to help you see when the lights are out. Robot height and speaker controls are now easier to access – just slide swipe up/down anywhere on the screen, left side for the robot speaker and the right side for robot height. This is a free update for all users.

Here's a full list of the new features:

Read more

Double is proud to be involved with Esurance and the Bryan Brothers at the US Open this month. There's a fun TV commercial featuring Doubles and there will be live Doubles at the Esurance booth.

https://www.esurance.com/tennis-us-open

As Waterloo Region's tech sector grows, many startups and companies in the community have to co-ordinate with employees or collaborators in other parts of Canada and abroad.

For certain occasions where an email or a phone call won't do, Thalmic Labs in Kitchener has a unique solution: a robot.

Developed by Double Robotics in California, the robot, or Double, is essentially an Apple iPad on wheels that can be piloted remotely using a Mac or PC computer, iPhone or a second iPad...

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/thalmic-labs-uses-ipad-on-wheels-to-work-long-distance-1.2733633

Dr. Paul Paterson is using his Double to visit his patients Erie County Medical Center. He is part of a rising practice many other physicians are testing out. They are calling this telerounding. Studies have shown that telerounding is proving to be very useful for busy physicians. It saves time and money by allowing doctors to be physically present in one hospital and virtually be in another at any time.

By using Double to roam around the hospital, Dr. Paterson is able to visit patients at any time. He recalls an urgent incident where a patient needed to speak with him. Dr. Paterson was able to connect with the patient using Double from his kitchen.

To read more, please visit this article: http://www.buffalonews.com/city-region/medical/at-ecmc-the-robot-will-see-you-now-20140807

Double Robotics is always happy to hear positive stories about how our customers are using their robots! 

Light Chaser Animation Studios is a small animation company based in Beijing, China. The company's founder, Gary Wang, uses Double to help his team communicate with each other. Animation director, Colin Brady, lives in Los Angeles and uses the robot to be present in the Beijing office. As a result, he did not have to move to China and he's able to spend more time at home. 

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-28281108