Telepresence is the experience of being in a distant place through technology. It involves interacting with the real world, not an imaginary space. It has numerous applications, from corporate conferencing to remote surgery. The most basic example is a telephone, while more advanced systems stimulate all the user’s senses.
When a person has the experience of being in a place they are not actually in through the use of technology, this is called telepresence. The idea behind telepresence is that the person experiencing it should feel completely submerged in a distant place, be able to act on the environment to make changes and feel as if they are really there. This is different from virtual reality, although much of the same technology may be used, because telepresence involves interacting with a place in the real world, not an imaginary space.
As a concept, telepresence began to take off in the early 1990s, when several companies began developing technology that would help people feel more connected to a distant environment. Originally, many companies envisioned telepresence as a way to communicate with families, but uses in the business world soon came to fruition. Businesses using telepresence can communicate quickly, make important decisions quickly, and get a jump on emerging market trends.
There are numerous applications for telepresence, from corporate conferencing to remote surgery. It is actively being used for both of these things and can also be seen in education, using telepresence to connect educators, students and professionals across various distances. Some companies also use telepresence in dangerous spaces, such as under the sea or deep inside the earth, to allow employees to visit the site without putting themselves at risk. As the technology improves, developers say, people could use telepresence to visit archaeological sites without damaging them or to travel to distant regions.
The most basic example of telepresence is a telephone, which connects two users over a sometimes formidable distance. While neither user feels like they are physically with the other user, the phone helps break down the barrier between them. More complex telepresence systems integrate vision into the equation, as is the case with most conferencing systems. In these cases, people generally interact with a big screen. In even more advanced examples, people are able to take actions that impact the environment in the other location, as is the case with remote surgery.
Sophisticated telepresence systems stimulate all the user’s senses, integrating smell and taste into the experience. The technologies used for this type of telepresence involve a great deal of research and development, reflecting major advances in the sciences. These systems usually involve a visor and other similar devices that will truly immerse the user in the distant environment.
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