Are Robots the Future of Telecommuting?

Robots have long been part of the American imagination. But as reporter Rachel Emma Silverman recently discovered, robots may soon be part of the American reality… in the workplace.  Rachel writes for the New York-based Wall Street Journal, but she lives in Austin, Texas. Rachel reports on developments in the American workplace, and recently she decided to try a new development herself. For a few weeks this summer, Rachel telecommuted to her New York offices as a robot, QB-82. "During my robot days, I interacted with co-workers I'd never met before, as well as others I hadn't talked with in years; each of them was compelled to greet me as I cruised down the hall," Rachel writes. But, of course, QB-82 also had its downside: "I also nearly careened into glass walls, got stuck in an elevator, could barely hear the discussions in story meetings and got little other writing or interview work done while botting into the newsroom," she explains.