telepresence

noun

tele·​pres·​ence ˌte-lə-ˈpre-zən(t)s 

1

: technology that enables a person to perform actions in a distant or virtual location as if physically present in that location

I was evaluating a new kind of robot that could allow a travel-weary executive to visit any office in the world without ever leaving his or her own desk. The technology is called telepresence, and it takes advantage of the vast information-carrying capacity of the Internet.

—Mark Alpert

The system was developed with funding from the U.S. Army with the main goal of allowing the surgeon to operate through telepresence at a safe distance from a wounded soldier on the battlefield.

—Craig D. Turner

also : the practice of using such technology in the remote operation of a machine (such as a robot)

In telepresence the movements of a human operator on Earth are electronically transmitted to a robot that can reproduce the movements on another planet's surface.

—Paul D. Spudis

While it may seem gimmicky, the fact that telepresence robots offer their controllers a mobile physical presence in another place has a powerful influence on social interactions.

—Helen Knight

2

: the experience of using telepresence technology

It'll take a while before cumbersome VR headsets slim down for everyday use. That's why, inside fledgling startups and tech giants like Google and Facebook, designers are concocting products to make telepresence more compelling and are adding features unique to the digital realm. Collaborative documents, whiteboards, AR, AI.

—Steven Levy

Examples of telepresence in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

For example, researchers in Japan found that eye contact and life-size scaling significantly enhance social telepresence. —London School Of Economics, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024

If only Phil Dunphy’s telepresence robot were real. —Shania Russell, EW.com, 16 Nov. 2023

The on-site team worked with more than 100 experts around the world, including archaeologists from Japan, via telepresence technology. —Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Sep. 2023

Last night, Suitable Technologies opened a brand new store in the middle of Palo Alto, Calif., to give people a way to try out the Beam telepresence not-a-robot. —IEEE Spectrum, 15 Feb. 2023

This technology—known as telepresence—goes well beyond mere communications and pixel-pushing. —Christopher Mims, WSJ, 22 Oct. 2020

Sanctuary Sanctuary’s plan is to start with telepresence and use that as a foundation on which to iterate toward general-purpose autonomy. —IEEE Spectrum, 16 May 2023

Here are just a few examples of industries in which telepresence robots could be employed. —Craig Goodliffe, Forbes, 26 Jan. 2023

Chiu was not the only one to acknowledge the changes that Covid-19 has made to the world of telepresence robots. —WIRED, 12 Oct. 2022

Word History

Etymology

tele- + presence

First Known Use

1980, in the meaning defined at sense 1