A riff on earlier techniques. A simple robot that can scurry around with and iPad for two way communication to offer low end telepresence. Doublerobotics - about $2,000 as a pre-order and $500 more when it comes out in 2013.
In some niches this sort of thing can work - in others it doesn't. There has been a fair amount of research in the area because the toys are frankly just fun.
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