Abstract: Devices, systems, and methods for social behavior of a telepresence robot are disclosed herein. A telepresence robot includes a drive system configured to move the telepresence robot; a control system configured to control the drive system to drive the telepresence robot around a work area; an object detection system configured to determine that a first object encountered by the telepresence robot is a human; and a social path component configured to: determine a first lockout zone having a first radius around the human and a first comfort zone having a second radius around the human, the second radius being larger than the first radius; and instruct the control system to cause the telepresence robot to: avoid traveling through the first lockout zone; move at a first maximum speed within the first comfort zone; and move at a second maximum speed outside of the first comfort zone, wherein the second maximum speed is greater than the first maximum speed.

Abstract: This invention provides polarization-independent optical filters that are Fabry-Perot filters. The inventive filters incorporate a phase modulator within the FP cavity and two quarter-wave plates, one on either side of the phase modulator, in the cavity. The quarter-wave plates are perpendicular to each other and oriented at .+-.45.degree. with respect to the optic axis of the phase modulator. A variety of phase modulators including those that incorporate nematic and smectic liquid crystal optical modulators can be employed in these FP filters. The filters of this invention are particularly useful in fiber optic systems and in telecommunications applications at 1550 nm.