Videoconferencing “robots” in development at Alcatel-Lucent’s research arm, Bell Labs, could give remote workers a more physical presence in office meetings.

According to Bell Labs’ residential applications research director Jan Bouwen, there is more to an immersive discussion than video conferencing, which misses important cues (e.g., who is looking at whom).

The new technology, which extracts up to eight people from their real-world backgrounds and makes them appear beside each other in a virtual meeting room, could be incorporated in an Alcatel-Lucent product next year.

Because most of the processing work takes place in the network — Alcatel-Lucent’s traditional area of expertise — the software could reach a range of devices, including thin clients and tablets.