The RP-7 robot facilitated in a special interaction between Army Staff Sergeant Erik Lloyd stationed in Baghdad and his newborn son back in Texas. On April 10th, SSG Lloyd used a LapTop ControlStation to beam into the robot in Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) to meet his seven-day-old son, Blake, as well as see and talk to his wife.

"It was such a wonderful experience to be able to actively interact with my wife while she was able to show me our son for the first time," Lloyd said. "I was able to control the robot and actually move around the room a bit to get a different perspective than what a conventional video camera would have allowed."

Using the high resolution camera on the robot, SSG Lloyd was able to zoom in on the baby boy's face and see his tiny features perfectly. Remote physicians typically use the camera's zoom ability to view patients and to read charts and monitor screens clearly while providing remote care.

SSG Lloyd's wife was impressed with the technology as well. "I talk to him every day, and he demands pictures all the time. We use a Webcam but the connection isn't good," said Kristie Lloyd. "But this was great. Erik was playing with the controls and trying to figure out how to use the robot."