This invention relates to an apparatus for the projection of a remote conferee's
presence into a group meeting environment by using a combination of videoconferencing/teleconferencing
and robotics technology. The remote conferee's face is shown substantially life-size
on a video monitor. The remote conferee's eyes appear to be looking directly at
the viewer. The video monitor can turn left or right to point at the person speaking,
automatically or by manual control, to give the impression that the remote conferee
is turning his head to look at the person speaking. The video screen can be raised
and lowered to give the impression that the remote conferee is standing up and
sitting down. An attention-getting mechanism prompts the attention of the other
conferees when the remote conferee wants to interrupt or enter a conversation.
