TelePresence in Manufacturing

Mobilevideo collaboration including the ability to quickly locate available company experts,communicate across multiple locations/devices and pull multiple parties into acollaborative session offers new tools for sharing expertise and resolvingmanufacturing problems.

Cisco, partnering with Librestream, is providing a solutionthat integrates its unified wireless network and communications technologies withLibrestream's Onsight Expert solution. This enables hardened wireless videocameras to be used for voice, video and data sharing between remote employees.

"Our core technology is what we callborderless networks including our switching, routing, wireless and securitysolutions," says Chet Namboodri, Director for Manufacturing Industry Solutions andMarketing for Cisco Systems. "With that as a basis, we are able to offerdistributed data centers and virtualization across various areas from controldesign to operational excellence. Enabling engineers to collaborate includestelepresence, video and Webex capabilities that unify communications, and allof these technologies combine to provide core solutions for manufacturing."

Integrated WebEx provides immediate, secureconferencing where users can initiate conferences with one click and takeadvantage of audio, video and desktop sharing. TelePresence real-timeconferencing can replicate the power of a face-to-face meeting, so thatemployees and partners may communicate with each other as naturally as thoughthey were at the same table, from any location in the world.

The key advantage of the Manufacturing MobileVideo Collaboration (MMVC) solution is how it enables real-time mobilecollaboration between local personnel and remote experts. Examples include reducingplant downtime and improving worker productivity through faster response toissues on the shop floor, and accelerating time to market through effective collaborationbetween engineering, manufacturing and suppliers during prototype and initialproduction runs.

CiscoTelePresence solutions provide a consistent, high-quality image and soundwith voice-activated switching at virtually zero latency, scaling from groupsof one or two up to large meeting areas with 48 screens. A TelePresence Managerautomates much of the collaboration process, supporting groupware schedulingwith an easy-to-use "one button" interface and integrated calendars andadministration.

A MultiPoint Switch can scale up to 16 unitsfor a single call, supporting site or segment switching to maintain image sizeand aspect ratio for a reliable, high-quality conferencing exchange. One-touchauto-collaborate tools include a PC projector and the ability to convenientlyshare physical objects with an optional high-definition document camera. Forexample, engineers can share CAD files or detailed, instant images of productdesigns for assessment and review.

"The telepresence capability facilitatessolving problems in real-time and applications such as training. If you think of this technology applied tomachinery development, OEM machine builders have the opportunity to extendtheir services over the lifecycle of the machine," says Namboodri. "This is notjust remote access to information on how the machine is being used, but also anability to collaborate in real-time with the users of the machine."

Librestream Onsight wireless mobile devicesoffer a built-in microphone, speaker and headset jack for full voicecommunication. Illumination, zoom andfocus controls help ensure clear visuals, and a macro capability provides excellentdetail for collaboration close-ups. Other cameras such as borescopes or microscopescan be connected to these mobile devices to further enhance functionality.

Using the desktop collaboration software,Onsight Expert operators can see video from the field and interact throughvoice and onscreen telestration. The software can remotely control all thedevice functions such as zoom and illumination. Users can share images orprerecorded videos, and bring in additional experts running Onsight Expert orWebEx. A secure, web-based administration system facilitates centralizedupdates, configuration and management of Onsight devices and Onsight Expertapplications. Companies can also view session statistics to track and analyzeusage details.