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The basics of VoIP are very different from regular 6.1.1 Vision
PSTN, which uses “C7 signals” for controlling quality
of service. Due to the nature of VoIP, your calls are A minimum system usually includes visual feedback.
streamed by packets to the destination, and any Ideally, the entire field of view of the user is filled with
inconsistency would mean issues like jitter, packet loss a view of the remote location, and the viewpoint
and echo. These problems, while posing some corresponds to the movement and orientation of the
considerable inconvenience a few years back, are being user's head. In this way, it differs from
eliminated even as you’re reading this. [5] television or cinema, where the viewpoint is out of the
control of the viewer.
In order to achieve this, the user may be provided with
5.4 Bandwidth Dependent
either a very large (or wraparound) screen, or small
displays mounted directly in front of the eyes. The latter
In any small business or home office setting, you’ll
provides a particularly convincing 3D sensation. The
typically have one broadband line which is shared by
movements of the user's head must be sensed, and
multiple users, for downloading data, sending emails,
the camera must mimic those movements accurately
and viewing web sites and multimedia applications.
and in real time. This is important to prevent unintended
Add a VoIP system to that and your bandwidth will
motion sickness. Another source of future improvement
soon be sucked dry. The only way to solve this problem
to Telepresence displays, compared by some
is to have a dedicated E1 (larger user base) or at least a
to holograms, is a projected display
dedicated broadband connection. Home offices may not
technology featuring life-sized imagery. [6]
face this problem if there are less than 3 simultaneous
users. [5]
6.1.2 Sound
6. Telepresence
Sound is generally the easiest sensation to implement
Tele presence refers to a set of technologies which with high fidelity, based on the
allow a person to feel as if they were present, to give foundational telephone technology dating back more
the appearance that they were present, or to have an than 130 years. Very high-fidelity sound equipment has
effect, via telerobotics, at a place other than their true also been available for a considerable period of time,
location. with stereophonic sound being more convincing
Tele presence requires that the users' senses be provided than monaural sound. [6]
with such stimuli as to give the feeling of being in that
other location. Additionally, users may be given the 6.1.3 Manipulation
ability to affect the remote location. In this case, the
user's position, movements, actions, voice, etc. may be The ability to manipulate a remote object or
sensed, transmitted and duplicated in the remote environment is an important aspect of real Telepresence
location to bring about this effect. systems, and can be implemented in large number of
Therefore information may be traveling in both ways depending on the needs of the user. Typically, the
directions between the user and the remote location. movements of the user's hands (position in space, and
A popular application is found in Tele presence posture of the fingers) are sensed by wired
videoconferencing, a higher level of video telephony gloves, inertial sensors, or absolute spatial position
sensors. A robot in the remote location then copies telephone, but merely talking to another person with it.
those movements as closely as possible. This ability is [6]
also known as teleportation.
The more closely the robot re-creates the form factor of 7. Advantages
the human hand, the greater the sense of Telepresence.
Complexity of robotic effectors varies greatly, from An industry expert described some benefits of
simple one axis grippers, to fully anthropomorphic Telepresence: "There were four drivers for our decision
robot hands. to do more business over video and Telepresence. We
Hap tic teleportation refers to a system that provides wanted to reduce our travel spend, reduce our carbon
some sort of tactile force feedback to the user, so the footprint and environmental impact, improve our
user feels some approximation of the weight, firmness, employees' work/life balance, and improve employee
size, and/or texture of the remote objects manipulated productivity."
by the robot. [6] Rather than traveling great distances in order to have a
face-face meeting, it is now commonplace to instead
6.2 Transparency of Implementation use a Telepresence system, which uses a multiple codec
video system (which is what the word "Telepresence"
A good Telepresence strategy puts the human factors most currently represents). Each member/party of the
first, focusing on visual collaboration solutions that meeting uses a Telepresence room to "dial in" and can
closely replicate the brain's innate preferences for see/talk to every other member on a screen as if they
interpersonal communications, separating from the were in the same room. This brings enormous time and
unnatural "talking heads" experience of traditional cost benefits. It is also superior to phone conferencing
videoconferencing. These cues include life–size (except in cost), as the visual aspect greatly enhances
participants, fluid motion, accurate flesh tones and the communications, allowing for perceptions of facial
appearance of true eye contact. This is already a well- expressions and other body language. [6]
established technology, used by many businesses today.
Telepresence to teleporting from Star Trek, and said 8. Unified Communication
that he saw the technology as a potential
billion dollar market for Cisco.
Rarely will a Telepresence system provide such a Unified communications (UC) -- also called unified
transparent implementation with such comprehensive messaging or UM -- is the new buzzword in the IT
and convincing stimuli that the user perceives no industry, but what does it really mean? In some cases, it
differences from actual presence. But the user may set depends on whom you ask; vendors tend to put their
aside such differences, depending on the application. own spin on the definition depending on what they're
The fairly simple telephone achieves a limited form of trying to sell you. But by most definitions, UC refers to
Telepresence using just the human sensory element of the ability to integrate different types of
hearing, in that users consider themselves to be talking communications -- including voice mail, e-mail, faxes,
to each other rather than talking to the telephone itself. instant messages, and video conferencing -- into one
Watching television, for example, although it stimulates common interface and/or repository.
our primary senses of vision and hearing, rarely gives Unified Communications is NOT necessarily a product;
the impression that the watcher is no longer at home. Unified Communications is really a STRATEGY!
However, television sometimes engages the senses A strategy to dramatically reduce the effort needed to
sufficiently to trigger emotional responses from viewers establish effective communications between people,
somewhat like those experienced by people who whether they are colleagues, partners or customers.
directly witness or experience events. Televised Effective communications is accomplished over the
depictions of sports events, or disasters such as most appropriate medium to reach the right person, with
the September 11 terrorist attacks, can elicit strong the right device, the very first time!
emotions from viewers. That said, there are many ways to implement a unified
As the screen size increases, so does the sense of communications solution in an organization. In its
immersion, as well as the range of subjective mental simplest form, it provides a way for users to access their
experiences available to viewers. Some viewers faxes and voice mail messages via their e-mail clients.
have reported a sensation of genuine vertigo or motion More sophisticated implementations provide advanced
sickness while watching IMAX movies of flying or features such as the ability to hear e-mail messages read
outdoor sequences. to you over the phone as well as the ability to dictate a
Because most currently feasible Telepresence gear reply and send it as an e-mail, instant message, fax, or
leaves something to be desired; the user must suspend audio message. [7]
disbelief to some degree, and choose to act in a natural You don't necessarily need VoIP to implement UC; you
way, appropriate to the remote location, perhaps using can use the regular phone system. But VoIP does make
some skill to operate the equipment. In contrast, a it easier: VoIP services already include mechanisms for
telephone user does not see herself as "operating" the forwarding voice mail to e-mail, Find Me Follow Me
(FMFM) functionality, and other features used in a UC
system. In addition, you get more scalability and better 9. References
integration with VoIP than with UC-type products that
rely on traditional phone services. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voice_over_IP.htm
Combining an asynchronous communication type such [2]www.protocols.com/pbook/h323.htm
as e-mail with a real-time communication type such as [3] www.protocols.com/pbook/terminal.htm
telecommunications presents some challenges. [4]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Session_Initiation_Proto
However, it gives users far more flexibility and allows col.htm
each of them to receive, process, and send messages in [5]http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/sw/voicesw/a
the way that works best for that individual. dvantage.html
VoIP and Unified Messaging Challenges [6]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telepresence.htm
Enterprises are moving towards Voice over Internet [7]McGowan_VoIP_June17th2010.pdf (page # 4-20)
Protocol (VoIP) and Unified Communications (UC) in [8]http://www.cisco.com/en/US/tech/tk652/tk701/techn
corporate networks because of its many benefits, ologies_white_paper09186a00800d6b75.shtml
including
Substantial cost savings by using the internet
to bypass long distance tolls
Implementing advanced applications such as
unified messaging and presence.
Improving employee collaboration and
productivity.