Telepresence and virtual reality technologies invented in university laboratories over a decade ago, are now being commercialized and adopted by corporations and other entities to help maintain client relationships and support collaborative experiences. It’s face time without the expense of physical travel. Soon to follow will be scaled- down, eventually mobile, wireless-networked telepresence products for regular consumers, who have already demonstrated, primarily through their formidable purchasing power, a seemingly no-limits desire to communicate with one another, anywhere and anytime. Society’s acceptance and eager adoption of technologies such as the Internet, video gaming, cell phones and digital media players is translating to the rapid commoditization of what was once expensive and specialized equipment housed only in research laboratories.

One of the pioneering laboratories in telepresence and VR technologies, the Electronic Visualization Laboratory (EVL) at the University of Illinois at Chicago, continues to advance display technology, visualization, computer-supported cooperative work, and ultra high-speed networking. Dr. Leigh, director of EVL and associate professor of computer science, will describe a future model for technology-mediated collaboration, as well as some of EVL's newly emerging technologies that will combine ubiquitous communication, telepresence and tele-immersion at Telepresence World, June 4-6 at the University of San Diego, California.