Advantages

We're often asked to compare the Giraffe with video conferencing and cell phones. We hope this table helps convey the salient differences between these three technologies, both from the perspective of the person controlling the Giraffe, and the person interacting with the Giraffe.

Advantages	Cellular Telephone	Video Conferencing	Giraffe Videoconferencing Robot
Spontaneity	Call anyone, anywhere, but they might not answer if they're busy or their cell phone is turned off.	You can only call people who are near the video conferencing equipment	Call anytime, and drive anywhere in the facility, so you can access anyone, even people that are otherwise incommunicado.
Sense of presence	You have no sense of "being" in the remote location you are calling.	While video conferencing gives you a window into the remote location, you're limited to the view supplied by the far-end camera	Because you can move and look where ever you want, you'll feel like you're actually present at the remote location. People around the robot will treat you like you're actually there as well.
Mobility	The person at the far end can move his phone, of course, but you have no control over what you see and where you are.	The video conferencing equipment stays in a fixed location. Even if you can convince someone to move it, your view will remain static.	Users are fully mobile at the remote location, just as if they were actually there.
Empowerment	The caller is at the whim of the receiver both to answer the call, and to control its duration. Without video, the caller can only guess what is happening at the far end.	The caller is at the whim of the receiver both to answer the call and to control its duration. The caller is "stuck" in room that the video conferencing setup is located in.	Auto-answer mode (if enabled at the far end) allows a caller to connect any time they want. Callers are thus empowered to wander around whenever they want, as if they were actually present.
Video Quality	Even if the cell phone is equipped with video conferencing, only a small screen and low resolution camera are provided.	Video quality varies, but the view is limited to the scene that the far end camera is set to receive.	Cutting edge video quality and a fully mobile camera provide a true sense of being there.
Encourages Casual Interaction	Protocol dictates that the conversation be kept formal if the parties aren't well acquanted.	Only prearranged meetings are possible. In work settings, these meetings are often formal.	The Giraffe's unique form and function encourage interaction and gets people talking. You'll feel more popular when using the Giraffe than you do in person!