A European project is aiming to bolster telepresence techniques with robotics and neuroscience developments to create an illusion that could be so lifelike that remote participants will appear to be physically present. The EU Commission's Community Research and Development Information Service (CORDIS) believes its 'Beaming' solution could be so effective that it is even looking into legal implications as a person can perform actions in countries they are not present in.
Cordis says its aim is to shift a participant’s "means for perception into the destination, and decomposing their actions, physiological and even emotional state into a stream of data that is transferred across the internet".
Data will be transferred from a destination to "the visitors" with display on anything from a tablet device, desktop, HMD or even an immersive reality solution.
‘Beaming will use robotoics and haptic technologies to create a physical presence for the remote participant in a local area.
The project draws on the latest developments in networking, computer vision, computer graphics, virtual reality, haptics, robotics and user interface technology to create a new kind of virtual transportation. Researchers are also utilising advances in neuroscience to understand the process where the brain represents a person’s entire body.
Cordis is also exploring ethical and legal issues that could be raised by a world where it is possible to have a physical presence in a country you are not actually present in.