Australian Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy Senator Stephen Conroy has unveiled a landmark project that trials robotics and broadband technology for schools. This initiative enables on-line visitors at nationwide schools to “visit” the prestigious Canberra-based Landmarks Gallery at the National Museum from designated sites nationally. Students from The Cathedral School in Townsville (Queensland), Kiama Primary School in Kiama (New South Wales), and an expert from the Melbourne Museum have just participated in a live demonstration. School children were able to link up with an educational robot sited at the National Museum. This link tapped into high-speed, fast-access broadband communications. This robot has been developed by CSIRO. It is designed to shadow a museum guide during virtual on-site tours. Students can participate in an interactive tour from a computer terminal at their school or local library.

The Director of the CSIRO’s Digital Productivity and Services Flagship, Dr Ian Oppermann, said this technology has enormous potential for wide-ranging applications. “While culturally significant sites and museums across the globe could use this technology, our goal is to extend and export this Australian technology as a platform for new applications in business, health services, social services and mining,” Dr Oppermann said. The National Museum houses a range of treasurers, including historical archives, prestigious art exhibits, as well as science and technology displays. Access is currently available for schools and libraries that are connected to the National Broadband Network. This project enables multiple remote visitors to have their own “individual experience” of exploring the National Museum – while interacting with their museum educator. Among the features, this robot is designed with an end-user interface that enables a museum educator to ask questions easily and see answers from multiple remote users.

The robot is equipped with a 360 degree panoramic camera – while following a tour guide. Broadband links connecting online visitors enable them to independently control their view of museum exhibits. Motorised wheels, as well as navigational and sensing capabilities, ensure the robot follows a guide, while avoiding obstacles and pedestrians. Many Australians – especially at remote locations –cannot easily visit national institutions. These include museums, galleries and cultural spaces. When fully operational, this educational service will support up to 16 students simultaneously over a fibre connection. A typical NBN connection provides high-quality video, data and audio streams from the National Museum to each student each using approximately a 10Mbps downlink. The video and audio for students – from a school back to the museum – requires up to 2Mbps per user. For wireless and satellite connections, the system supports a single user or a class using a “Smart Board.”