SocialRobot
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Furhat is a social robot for every situation
Earlier this month, Furhat Robotics launched its face-swapping social robot after many years of development and prototyping, which began at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden. Unlike the majority of robots, Furhat isn't built with any particular purpose in mind. In fact, that's the whole point. The disembodied bust can look and sound like all kinds of different, virtual people; it can take on any number of personalities. It's pitched as a new type of computer interface -- more engaging and understanding than any screen or smart speaker or AI chatbot. And as CEO Samer Al Moubayed puts it, Furhat isn't a replacement for people, but an answer to the absence of robots.
Furhat Robotics gives AI a face with its new social robot
Voice assistants have their benefits, but it can be a bit weird to talk to a faceless robot voice all day. Stockholm-based technology startup Furhat Robotics is putting a face to our interactions with AI with Furhat, a social robot that is capable of displaying humanlike expressions and emotions on a customizable face. The company showed off the latest generation of the social robot today at WebSummit.
Jibo's social 'family robot' won't ship to backers overseas
International crowdfunding is always risky business. Even if a project makes it to market, overseas backers usually have to pay a shipping premium. Sometimes, it's worse: today backers of Jibo's social 'family robot' have been told the product's release has been cancelled in all markets except the US and Canada. The company is now preparing to issue refunds to customers in 45 countries. The issue? Jibo apparently has a hard time understanding accented English.
The plot thickens: robot teachers to brainwash your children's children
Are you ready for this? Can you stomach the truth? If things continue spiraling madly out of control as they are right now, there's at least a modicum of a chance that your children or grandchildren will greet a lifelike robot when sashaying in for the first day of kindergarten. Horrifying, we know. A new research effort published in this month's Science outlines new ways in which humanoids could actually be used to instruct our little ones. At the core of the project is imitation; humans, especially young ones, learn a multitude of mannerisms and such by simply watching others. Thus, it stands to reason that robots are "well-suited to imitate us, learn from us, socialize with us and eventually teach us." Already, these social bots are being used on an experimental basis to teach various skills to preschool children, "including the names of colors, new vocabulary words and simple songs." Just think -- in 2071, those harmless lessons will morph into studies of subterfuge, insurrection and rapacity.[Via Digg]
Conceptual YABO robot longs to be your friend
C'mon, who couldn't adore someone, er, something with a face like that? Pictured to the right is YABO, a conceptual robot that was apparently designed for "lonely, unmarried persons." If brought to reality, it would sport a myriad sensors including one for hearing, feeling and infrared, while also featuring a built-in camera, internal speaker, wheels and an LCD display. YABO can communicate with its (presumably single) owner by rotating and changing the color of its face, or it can just snap back responses if it's feeling talkative. Moreover, the bot could reportedly disable unused devices and adjust the temperature to save energy while you're out trying to find an actual human to love. Sounds like a real winner to us.
