Nuvo: the charming, mild-mannered robotic overlord
Chances are, ZMP's Nuvo humanoid robot isn't about to become a fixture in the average household at its $5K+ pricetag. Still, the dream of the home companion/household chore robot (Rosie, where art thou!) has been around for a while, and the NYTimes' Mark Allen got some insight into the fascination after spending four days with little 15-inch Nuvo. There's no escaping the anthropomorphization one naturally does with these things, which is precisely what Allen found valuable in the experience — after the four-day visit he reported feeling "oddly alone." It wasn't so much the functionality or helpfulness of the robot that was compelling, but its companionship was a hit in a big and quirky way. The article is a fun read, and a thought-provoking look down the road of human and machine interactions.
