Finding Your Way With Telepresence
Types of Telepresence
By Mark Ciotola
First published on September 22, 2024. Last updated on February 15, 2025.
There are several types of telepresence. Passive telepresence allows one to sense a remote location but not take any in situ actions or influence or manipulate the remote location. The several types of telepresence constitute more of a spectrum than one a few isolated types.
Fogcam example view updated every 20 seconds. (Credit: San Francisco State University)
An example of passive telepresence is webcams. Fogcam at SFSU is the oldest functioning webcam. Webcams allow you to feel like you are somewhere else, but they are passive in the sense that you can’t do anything except look around, although some webcams will allow to to move the camera around. Unfortunately, the CMU campus webcam has been decommissioned.
An intermediate form of telepresense involve mobile sensors. Cameras mounted on rovers, such as the discontinued Beam telepresence “robot” provides more active telepresence by allowing a viewer to move around. A lunar or Martian rover whose only purpose is observation fits in the category. Such telepresence can alter the remote location. For example, rovers leave tread makrs and trails in thedust and soil of the Moon and Mars.
Likewise there are increasing levels of influence upon a remote environment, until one achieves a more robust active telepresence. A remote control surgery (such as by Computer Motion and Intuitive Surgery machines) is an invasive form of active telepresense.