social robot
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Kiki the social robot is a mechanical animal who wants to be your friend
Not everyone has the space, money or quite honestly patience to foster a rambunctious Aibo. But that doesn't mean you'll have to spend the rest of your days alone. The forthcoming Kiki from Zoetic AI offers an equally rewarding and, with a $1499 price tag, slightly more affordable domestic robotic pet experience without all the servo noise.
Creators of social robot Buddy need more money to finally launch
In 2015, Buddy the social robot first appeared on Indiegogo. Nearly four years and $657,000 later, the friendly robotic companion has yet to ship to any of its backers. Now the creators of Buddy, Blue Frog Robotics, are reaching out to backers to apologize for the extended delay and ask for more money to finally bring Buddy to fruition, with the ultimate goal of shipping by April 2020.
Social robot Jibo does one last dance before its servers shut down
Nearly one year after robotics startup Jibo was sold off for parts, the company's social robot of the same name is informing users that it will be shutting down. In a message accompanied by a dance, the robot informed owners that its servers are going offline, which will severely hamper most of its functionality. Engadget attempted to reach out to Jibo to confirm the shutdown, but the company's email address bounces the message back and its support page is offline.
Five questions for the man who created a robot documentarian
We've spilled buckets of digital ink on headless horse bots, uncanny humanoids and the coming of the robot apocalypse, but there's a softer, more emotional side to these machines. Social robots, as they're referred to, are less mechanized overlords and more emotional-support automatons, providing companionship as well as utility. Robots like these are forcing us to consider how we interact with the technology that we've created. Under the direction of artist/roboticist Alexander Reben and filmmaker Brent Hoff, a fleet of precious, cardboard BlabDroids, set out to explore the shifting boundaries of human-robot interaction. These tiny, wheeled machines aren't automated playthings, but serious documentarians seeking an answer to a deceptively simple question: "Can you have a meaningful interaction with a machine?" We'll dive deeper into the topic at Expand this weekend, but in the meantime, here's a short Q&A with Reben on an incredibly complex topic.
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.
