FutureFive New Zealand - Consumer technology news & reviews from the future
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Three real robots making their way into your home
Mon, 10th Jul 2017
FYI, this story is more than a year old

Robots are undeniably becoming a part of everyday life, these artificial beings slowly making the leap from the cinema screen into our homes.

When most people think of ‘real' robots, factory mechs and military prototypes are often the first things that spring to mind.

However, the belief that we are still decades away from the first C-3P0 like robot is simply not true.

Advanced consumer robots are coming faster than you think, some have already made their way into homes across the globe.

Here are three advanced robots you can expect to have in your home soon:

Jibo

Jibo is a unique robot with a massive personality.

It blends a traditional AI personal assistant device with humour and self-learning to create a unique household companion.

Jibo experiences the world and reacts with surprisingly thoughtful movements and responses that show that he's no ordinary bot.

So while he'll gladly snap a photo, he'll also get to know you and the people you care about.

Every experience teaches Jibo something new, like recognising the faces and voices of close family and friends, playing games, telling jokes, or sharing fun and interesting facts.

The idea is that Jibo would become an integral part of any family, constantly working to get to know and understand the needs of his family.

Pepper

Pepper is about as close as we have gotten to creating a real life C-3P0.

Pleasant and likeable, Pepper is much more than a robot, he is a genuine humanoid companion created to communicate with users in the most natural and intuitive way, through his body movements and his voice.

Pepper can recognise a user's face, speak, hear and move around autonomously.

This robot gradually memorises your personality traits, your preferences, and adapts himself to your tastes and habits.

Based on your voice, the expression on your face, your body movements and the words you use, Pepper will interpret your emotion and offer appropriate content.

Pepper is multilingual and has been used by a banking firm in Japan to interact with and inform customers in multiple different languages.

Dyson 360 Eye

The Dyson 360 Eye is a cleaning robot similar to the Rumba, however, it takes the idea to a whole new level.

This robot uses lasers and cameras to scan its environment, then it calculates a systematic cleaning pattern, so it knows where it's been and where it's yet to clean.

When its battery is running low it automatically takes the most direct path back to the charging dock.

This utility robot comes complete with tank tracks, to help maintain speed and direction as it moves across different surfaces.

With a compatible voice command service, using this robot is even quicker and easier than any of its predecessors.

From starting a clean to changing to quiet mode, users can just use simple, spoken instructions to control this machine.