Low-cost telepresence at technical conferences

Physical attendance at technical conferences maximizes both the professional and personal benefits of participation, and is often required as a condition of publishing. However, circumstances such as injury, literally being at the South Pole, and/or lack of funding may “get in the way”, to say the least. This paper describes how an inexpensive, remote-site controllable camera was used with the existing laptop-and-projector configuration at IEEE Aeroconference 2011 to establish a workable point-to-point telepresence for presenting papers, attending presentations, participating in panel discussions, and co-chairing a technical session. The discussion includes suggestions for camera, audio, and screen/chart-sharing configurations for these purposes in both point-to-point and multi-point situations, use of telepresence as part of traditional conference room sessions, and possibilities for and challenges of having a “telepresence hall” for presentations and/or professional networking.