ON internet based supermedia enhanced telepresence via cellular data network

This paper presents a proof of concept experiment designed to quantitatively and qualitatively test the supermedia streaming capabilities for telepresence via cellular data networks using a remote controlled (RC) helicopter. In the experiment, the RC helicopter flies with two smartphones attached. The first smartphone streams Skype video, 6-axis telemetry data (accelerometer), and round trip time (RTT) ping to a ground station via cellular data network. The second smartphone on the helicopter receives commands send from a remote location to take still pictures of the target. The system presented is capable of downloading still photos from the flying helicopter to the ground station. The experiment also characterizes packet loss, the positional error in the global positioning system (GPS) and radio reception strength (RSSI in dBm) of the smartphones onboard the RC helicopter. The mean delay exhibited in our experiment shows that supermedia telepresence is possible by cellular data networks.