What is POLLY?

Polly is a wearable telepresence device that allows users to explore locations and share experiences remotely by calling a mobile “guide.”  It’s inspired by the metaphor of a remotely controlled parrot that can perch on someone’s shoulder, talk to them and look around. It consists of a smartphone mounted on a wearable, stabilized gimbal. The gimbal enables remote control of the viewing angle as well as providing active image stabilization while the guide is walking. As the latest in a series of hardware prototypes, it is our most promising embodiment.