Taptic Toys iPad telepresence robot roams the WWDC keynote line

If you were in the keynote line at WWDC this morning, you may have been approached by a robot bearing greetings and a smile. That robot, which rolls about on two wheels Segway-like, has an iPad for a head and was being controlled by one of the co-founders of Taptic Toys, Romina Espinosa, who was in Los Angeles at the time.

Telepresence robots are designed to give home workers a way to "walk around" a real office or plant without really being there. While Taptic Toys hasn't turned this into a real product at this time, the idea is great. I'd personally love to be able to send my robot to stand in a keynote line for me while I laze at home 1,000 miles away. Could you imagine being able to send one of these around a foreign city so that you could tour it without leaving your home?

This is a very cool concept, and we're sure to see more innovative uses of iOS and Mac OS X technology in the days to come.