Dr-Fix-It! Notebook Archive:
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The Laser Telepointer . . . The two-way radio crackled,"Tech 14 to Base . . ." Omar, the Service Manager grabbed the microphone, "Go ahead, 14". He let go of the 'TALK' button, "Tech 14 . . . isn't that Fred?" Someone in the Service Office mumbled, "Yah, 14 is Fred" "Omar, I've got a real problem with this chiller. I don't know what is wrong. The pressures look very wierd and it's making knocking noises . . ." "Fred, Do you have a Telepointer on the truck?" "10-4" "Well, hook it up and call in! We'll take the call in the conference room. I'll round up some troubleshooters to join me and have a look at your chiller with you. I'll get Sammy, Mike and Tony over to the conference room to have a look at your problem . . ." "10-4." Omar joked, "See you soon, Fred!" -----
And, it doesn't matter where the expert is- as long he can access the Internet. The patented Laser Telepointer combines Internet video teleconferencing with a remote controlled laser pointer. The Laser Telepointer can enable an instructor to use a laser to point at remotely located technical equipment via an Internet connection. A worker or student at the remote site can be directly supervised by an instructor who enjoys full visual, two-way audio and pointing capability. ----- Sammy, squinting at the screen, mumbled, "Go back and have another look at that purge pump." In a far-away mechanical room, the camera moved and adjusted focus. "There it is!", Sammy slammed the conference table with his fist. "There it is!" Fred (Tech 14) asked, "What? Did you find something?" From his seat in the Main Office Conference Room, Sammy directed the laser beam pointer to highlight a dented copper tube. "Right there is your problem. That line to the purge pump is kinked. Replace that tubing and then run a purge cycle! 'Betcha that fixes her!" Fred (Tech 14) smiled into the camera,"Thanks guys. I'm sure glad you were able to see this..." For more information, consult VisualEcho.Com. 2006.09.07 |
Dan, an Assistive Technology Professional in Vermont (upper right), teaches Neal, a quadriplegic in Florida (lower left), how to operate assistive equipment and supporting software. Dan simply input Neal's IP address, made the phone connection, turned on the camera and the one-on-one training begins. Dan sees Neal and his set-up on his monitor and Neal sees what Dan is pointing at as if Dan were in the room with him. Dan operates the pointer independent of the camera's pan/tilt controls so the pointer can be moved anywhere in the camera's field of view. His camera controls also allow zooming, focus and other adjustments.