Author: Alvaro Pintado Email: pintado@unlv.nevada.edu
Date: Last modified on 12/20/16
Keywords: VGo

VGo is a telepresence robot that communicates over a WiFi network. With VGo one can have a physical presence anywhere on the globe controlling the robot remotely from any computer.

This tutorial covers setting up the VGo and basic operation.

Assembling the VGo is a very simple one step process. All that needs to be done is to attach the upper body to the base. Pull the clips open as so and place the body on the base.
Then close the clips and the body will lock in place. Turn on the VGo robot by holding down the power button at the back end of the base on the top surface.

After turning on the VGo, the main menu should appear and look something like this:

Navigate to Settings > Network Settings and connect to a network.

Teleoperation of the VGo is done through their program available for Windows and Mac, with an additional app for the iPad. The program can be downloaded at: https://controlpanel.vgocom.com/download

Once downloaded and installed, login to the VGo account tied to the specific robot you are using. Once in, you can double click the robot name, and you will receive a control panel that should look like this:

To move the robot, use your mouse and the arc for direction. Left click to begin moving. As you move further up the semicircle, the velocity in that direction will increase. When you first click, the robot will always begin at minimal velocity then speed up to the velocity that corresponds to your mouse location on the semicircle.

The VGo has the functionality of docking itself on the charging platform. To do so, navigate to within about 3 ft radius of the charging station. When close enough to the charging station, your “Dock” button on the control panel should light up blue.

https://youtu.be/jUGI_-67uww
After docking, the charging station light should change color to green to appear and your control panel will now say “Charging” with a green border where it used to have the “Dock” button.