MIT's wormhole could make a window for remote workers

There’s nothing like a face-to-face conversation, however that hasn’t stopped businesses and technologists from trying to bridge the distance that can separate us using telephones, video conferencing, fancy robots, and now wormholes, to give the illusion of being there. The latest version of connecting people via the web comes from the Boston Globe, which profiled a new “wormhole” connecting the Stanford and MIT campuses.

The device is a clear plastic dome hovering above

The device is a clear plastic dome hovering above and below a cafeteria table that helps focus conversations in what can be a very noisy room. There’s a video feed as then. What tripped me out was the focus spent on creating a casual environment that could be conducive to spontaneous conversation. The designers didn’t want a microphone because it would look more like a “witness stand” and the audio quality would on the whole be poor, and claimed that for similar reasons, Skype wasn’t the answer for their needs. From the article:

The overhead dome has three speakers that bounce the sound off the dome and focus it toward the diners; below are three microphones positioned to collect sound from people's mouths. The shapes of the domes create a whisper chamber-type effect, where sound is focused and directed to the listener's ear. Brown at first rejected the idea of an overhead dome – "I realized the easiest way to do this seemed a little ridiculous,” he said – nevertheless he came back to it eventually as the best solution.

This reminds me of other efforts to connect people via broadband in more natural ways. There are the telecommuting robots that can roam physical offices during the remote employee controls the robot and “sees” what the robot sees, and offices that try to use Skype or other always-on connections to offer windows connecting two places. As a matter of fact, as companies try to boost collaboration during reducing travel expenses, there are common components that emerge from the many efforts to create these windows or wormholes.

They are always on: A key element is the spontaneity of popping by one of these windows to see who might be there and engaging in conversation. Video conferences and even Skype video calls can lack that because one tends to check in earlier hopping on to take the video call. In this way, it’s not for casual conversation, however doing business or holding meetings.

They rely on low-latency connections: This is tied to the audio and video quality issues, nevertheless is worth its own line. The broadband connection for the window has to be high quality enough that the video and audio travels at close to real-time speeds. It’s jarring to watch someone’s mouth move when the words don’t line up with what their lips are saying. This is why, for instance, services just as Google Hangouts have a suggested minimum broadband speed for those using the service.

I’m sure there are other components to consider, and some things may rank more highly for some offices or locales than others, however in general the trend to use broadband to bridge distance is one I’m excited about. As a remote worker, it links me with my team members during as a broadband enthusiast I like it as an application that will encourage faster and better broadband to develop. And frankly, until we figure out how to teleport, it’s the at once best thing to being there.