Robotic enhancement for Sultan

In Douglas Adams' science fiction classic "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy,GÇ¥ the number 42 is the "answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything.GÇ¥ In Sultan, it's going to be the answer to missed council meetings.

Members of the Sultan City Council were introduced to the city's newest public servant ' a robot named Standever-42 ' during the council meeting on Thursday, July 14. Gifted to the city by Sultan Planning Board member Sean Standefer, Standever-42 is a Double Robotics telepresence robot that can be operated from a laptop, iPad or iPhone. In the event that a councilmember is unable to attend a meeting in person, the robot can be operated remotely, giving that councilmember the opportunity to maintain a physical presence at the meeting.-á

A councilmember operating Standever-42 will be able to see, speak and interact during a council meeting just as if they were there. While the robot is in use, a live video feed broadcasts the face of the operator through an iPad mounted to the top of the robot. The movement of the robot is controlled using a combination of keystrokes that propel it forward, backward, left and right.

The robot uses Wi-Fi or a cellphone signal to transmit information. Video and audio data is encrypted from end to end, making the connection secure.

"If any member of the city council is absent, they could use this to attend council meetings. It is within Washington law,GÇ¥ Standefer said. "As long as you are present, visual and can deliver your voice, or stand and be recognized, then you are present for business.GÇ¥

The robot glides seamlessly around its environment using a gyroscope and accelerometers; the same technology used by Segway in its series of self-balancing, battery-powered personal transportation devices. The robot is powered with a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, the same type of battery used in many laptop computers. When fully charged the robot's battery will last between eight and 10 hours, needing to be charged less often than its attached iPad.

The adjustable robot stands 47-inches tall in its "sittingGÇ¥ position and 60-inches while "standing.GÇ¥

Standever-42 can also be used to transmit a live video feed of the council meeting, Standefer said, which would be available for Sultan residents to view.

"I can broadcast anything that's being seen or heard by the robot to a website, and members of the public can cue up, they can listen to the city council,GÇ¥ Standefer said.

Standefer is the cofounder of Standever Industries, a Seattle-based family of technology companies that uses innovation to problem-solve, developing and managing complex projects for a variety of different companies. Standever-42 earned its name for being the 42nd robot in Standever's fleet of around 60 robots, and has been used for technical inspections, data center operations, after-hours security patrol and training.

"It was even used once by the DOD (Department of Defense) to inspect a warehouse for a bomb,GÇ¥ Standefer said.

Most recently, the robot was deployed at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Seattle for the purposes of telemedicine, an emerging healthcare strategy to provide patient care more efficiently.

"It served as a patient kiosk, and would check on patients that were hallway-stationed for more than 15 minutes, so that you had an actual doctor going down the hallways checking on patients on gurneys during busy times,GÇ¥ Standefer said.-á -á -á

The robot can also be used for educational purposes, Standefer said. He told the council about a time when one of his granddaughters was injured, and had to have surgery. She was unable to physically attend school for three months, but was able to attend virtually using a robot like Standever-42. Standefer said he is hopeful the city will find a multitude of uses for the robot, including education, firefighting, policing and other community-related functions.

It is equipped with night vision capabilities, making it suitable for late security assignments.-á -á

The robot is extremely durable, Standefer said.

"I could not tell you how many times that guy has probably face-planted,GÇ¥ Standefer said. "We've had people drive him off stairs. We've had people take them to the park and drive them through sprinklers. We've had amazing adventures with these robots.GÇ¥

Standefer will conduct training sessions for members of the city council and staff, so they all get accustomed to "drivingGÇ¥ the robot. It takes about 10 minutes to get familiar with how to control the robot; after that it's all about practice. He is hopeful the city will get creative with ways to use the technology.

Standever-42's replacement value is around $4,800, Standefer said. The robots can be purchased for as low as $2,500, he said, plus the cost of the iPad.-á -á -á

"This is a community asset,GÇ¥ Standefer said. "Our company would like to see it used as a community asset.GÇ¥

Standefer allowed several councilmembers the opportunity to try their hand at driving Standever-42, including Councilmembers Joe Neigel, Russell Wiita and student representative Claire Sorgen. Under ordinary circumstances, the operator wouldn't actually be in the same room as the robot, Standefer said, so the sound feature was not demonstrated.

All eyes were drawn to the robot as it traveled around the council chambers, wearing the image of its operator.

"It's like a video game,GÇ¥ Sorgen said. "I'm really bad at video games.GÇ¥-á -á

But Sorgen adeptly guided the robot out into the entryway of city hall and smoothly back into chambers.

Sultan City Administrator Ken Walker said he is hopeful the new robot will boost community engagement in the public process. Not all cities have a robot, making Sultan likely one of the first in east Snohomish County to implement this type of technology.

"If configured correctly, this will allow people within our community to observe council, to see what happens, to see how it works and hopefully get more involved and engaged in local government,GÇ¥ Walker said.

The city will be conducting a robot-naming contest for Standever-42, to give it a new identity as it embarks on its city-related challenges. Details about the contest will be made available in the near future, and all Sultan residents will be encouraged to participate.

"I think this will be a wonderful tool, not only for the city, but for the citizens here,GÇ¥ Walker said.