From June 7 to 27, 2007, Orange fibre customers will be able to enjoy a remote tour of the rooms in the palace of Versailles inaccessible to the general public by steering, from their PC, a robot fitted with a camera. A world first that brings together culture, high-speed broadband and robotics.
During this experimental phase, Orange fibre customers will be able to discover the collection in the
Chimay rooms, which are generally closed to the general public. Accompanied by an explanatory
voice commentary, the images of the works filmed by the robot will be broadcast live in high definition.
This unique technological innovation is made possible by fibre optics and a visiophony system
developed in the Orange Labs. These free tours, lasting 20 minutes, will be available every day from 9
am to 1 pm and 6 pm to 10 pm. Orange "fibre" subscribers can book tours since June 4 on the highspeed
broadband portal at www.orange.fr.
This experimental phase is part of the GVN project (Grand Versailles Numérique (Digital Great
Versailles)). Launched by the Palace of Versailles in 2005, GVN’s aim is to imagine, test and then
deploy new digital tools designed to enrich visits to the museum and the Versailles estate. It is a
research and experimentation programme that merges culture and technology. A prototype of GVN
could be duplicated in other cultural sites, in France and throughout the world. The innovations
contained in this project are linked to improving the reception, information and orientation of the public,
preparation, enrichment and prolongation of the visit, sharing knowledge and exchanges between
visitors.
Robosoft, a worldwide leader in service robotics solutions, has prepared and loaned the project one of
its robuters®. The robuter is an intelligent mobile robot equipped with a camera, and able to perform
pre-programmed themed visits, or to be remote controlled on demand from any PC connected to the
Internet. This world first is a clear illustration of Robosoft’s vision that, by 2011, robuters will change
our daily lives, particularly through functions like tele-presence, which is demonstrated today in the
Palace of Versailles. Exclusively available on Orange fibre, this experiment illustrates one of the uses made possible by fibre optics and opens up perspectives in other fields (tourism, cultural, educational, medical, security, etc.) or in the search for solutions to facilitate access to cultural events for people with reduced mobility.
