Robots in a Covid World
Virtually Maker Faire 2020
May 22nd-23rd
During a pandemic, critical workers need a safe way to do their tasks. In many cases these tasks could be done remotely - assuming the operator has a way to see and control what's happening. In this system, users send commands to a device via Zoom or other video conferencing apps. To control a device, the worker holds up a piece of paper with the command written on it. In this case, the word “Go”. The remote device watches its Zoom screen and executes the command. Examples of other remotely controlled devices are lab equipment, security doors, cleaning PPEs, IoT devices and a wide variety of robots.
My prototype demonstrates racing a slot car in real time from anywhere in the world. The track is at my home, the racers are located anywhere Zoom or comparable app is available. At the end of this demo, selected users will be invited to race a slot car against me.
