Presentation discusses Conferencing Robots aka Motorized Video Conferencing - motorized conferencing control is in process of being standardized in ITU-T and it will be very useful for any robotic video-conferencing control of the future.

1. Conferencing Robots aka
Motorized Video
Conferencing
Simon Horne
Founder
Spranto

2. About Me
• Previous Life
• Bachelor of mechatronics engineering
• Designed and built robotic machinery.
• This Life
• Founder of Spranto.
• Software based Video Conferencing equipment
• Authored a number of ITU Recommendations.
2

3. Examples of Motorized Conferencing
3
Moveable Devices Neck Devices

4. The Robotic Revolution
• Existing
• Integrated Design.
• Hardware from major vendor
• Using existing Far End Camera Control FECC (H.281)
• Expensive
• Future
• Modular Design.
• Off shelf tablets using Bluetooth control.
• Soft clients
• New Far End Motorized Control FEMC (H.284)
• Inexpensive
4

5. Where is FEMC (H.284) at?
• Currently a work item in the ITU SG16 Q1 (H.FEMC)
• Holding adhoc meetings to garnish industry input and
participation.
• Chaired by Patrick Luthi (IMTC VP)
• Works with H.323/H.320 (via H.224)
• And yes it will work with SIP (via RFC4573)
5

6. Differences between H.281 and H.284
• H.281 only supports simple stop start commands.
• H.284 supports
• Simple stop/start
• Absolute positioning
• Incremental positioning
• H.281 is limited in the number of axis of control
• H.284 can control up to 255 different axis
6

7. What does H.284 provide
• Up to 225 simultaneous points of control (ControlPoints)
• Can be linear, rotational, translational, On/Off.
• ControlPoints may support
• Start/Stop instruction (similar FECC)
• Absolute instruction.
• have min/max and current position values.
• Support video camera view portal range.
• Incremental Instruction
• Each increment is of x number of units.
7

8. Assigned ControlPoint Numbers
8
ControlPoint Identifier Motorised Control
0x00 Zero Reset all Control Points
0x01 Movement Forward/Reverse
0x02 Movement Left/Right
0x03 Movement Up/Down
0x04 <reserved>
0x05 <reserved>
0x06 <reserved>
0x07 Neck Pan
0x08 Neck Tilt
0x09 Neck Roll
0x0a <reserved>
0x0b <reserved>
0x0c Camera Zoom
0x0d Camera Focus
0x0e Camera Lighting
0x0f Auxiliary Lighting
0x10-EF <reserved>
0xF0 – 0xFF User defined

9. How does a ControlPoint work?
• Each ControlPoint (CP) mechanism limits is represented by an
equivalent linear positive scale.
• A CP Advertises how it is to be controlled. Stop/Start, Absolute or
Incremental
• A CP may supply a MIN (commonly 0) MAX and current position.
• A CP may supply a camera view range around the current position.
• A CP may supply incremental step sizes on the scale.
• Far End provisions controls according to supplied CP information.
9

10. Demonstration
• Spranto client with KUBI Neck device from revolve robotics.
10

11. Getting involved
• Contacts
• Simon Horne s.horne@spranto.com
• Patrick Luthi pluthi@cisco.com
• ITU SG16 Q1 Meeting Geneva 28 Oct- 8 Nov
• Latest H.FEMC imformation
• http://www.itu.int/itu-t/workprog/wp_item.aspx?isn=9868
11

12. 12