Last week at the Xprize fundraiser in San Francisco a new technology stole the show.  Two of the guests (Notable Speaker Tony Robbins and Google Co-Founder Sergey Brin) were in attendance via telepresence. These robots are called Texai telepresence robots developed by Willow Garage.

A site called Singularity Hub actually broke this story, was in attendance at the fundraiser, and already have a few great posts about the robots.  Below you will find two videos of the robots, as well as our argument as to why understanding the “pulse” of fringe technologies and companies such as willow garage is essential in creating a sustainable business.

And here is Tony Robbins at the fundraiser:

This technology is brilliant, incredible, and just a hint of things to come.  What businesses and industries will be impacted by the mass production of such a device?  To be blunt: everyone. The most obvious are the travel, hospitality, and food service industries, but consider the opportunities this presents to realtors, museums, travel agencies, public speakers, personal trainers, and more.

Are realtors thinking about this? Are you?  I doubt it, but it doesn’t mean that they/you shouldn’t.