Ever wanted to be in two places at once? A Cairns woman has created a robot that allows you to do just that.
2012 Young Australian of the Year and technology entrepreneur Marita Cheng, 27, has created a brain-controlled telepresence robot that speaks and moves exactly how you want it to.
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Former Young Australian of the Year, Marita Cheng has founded a company that allows you to control telepresence robots with the power of thought.
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How to be in two places at once
Former Young Australian of the Year, Marita Cheng has founded a company that allows you to control telepresence robots with the power of thought.
The robot, called Teleport, uses a brain control interface called MindWave that allows the user to move the robot by blinking to go left, right, forward or backward.
A touchscreen tablet, cameras and android phone control allows the user to see and talk freely.
While some might just think it is a "screen on some wheels", Ms Cheng said it gives the world to those who aren't able to get out and about themselves.
"It gives you much more freedom and mobility, it makes you feel like you are there," she said.
"People who have used our robots say it is 100 per cent more immersive than what they thought it would be.
"I guess if you look at the product it is just a screen on some wheels but when you actually use it and you can explore for yourself a location that is thousands of kilometres away, that is when you begin to understand how rewarding it is to be in two places at once."
Ms Cheng grew up in a housing commission home with her mother and brother before moving to Melbourne to study mechatronics and computer science at the University of Melbourne.
It was while Ms Cheng was at university designing robotic arms for people with limited upper arm mobility that she decided to branch out and create a product that anyone could use.
"I worked on that (robotic arms) for a bit I thought it would be great if we could bring this functionality to everyone," she said.
"I thought it would be great to do it as a platform so it could be more useful.
"Teleport means that remotely you have control of where you are going, where you are looking, who you are talking to so rather than just being a face on the screen, rather than scheduling a call you can just appear."
The $3800 robot, built through startup company Aubot, has been shipped to a number of organisations and companies since November last year, including CanTeen to give sick children stuck in hospital the chance to go to school remotely.
"They are getting five of these robots to go to young people who are hospitalised with cancer in order for them to go to school remotely even when they are in their hospital beds," Ms Cheng said.
Ms Cheng has also been extensively involved in encouraging women to start a career in engineering through her organisation Robogals that has taught 60,000 girls robotics in 10 countries around the world since 2008.
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