Anybots’ QB, a $15,000 “remote presence robot,” allows a telecommuting worker to remotely attend meetings, drop into the offices of colleagues, and otherwise collaborate with people in an office.

Cameras in its eyes capture video; speakers and microphones let it relay sound back and forth; an LCD in its forehead can display a still image or video of the remote colleague; and a laser pointer gives it the equivalent of a virtual finger.

You control QB in a Web-based application that shows you what it sees and lets you direct it around simply by pressing your computer’s arrow keys.