Cozmo, a robot who is like a pet
A cheeky, friendly robot arriving in New Zealand aims to provide fun and companionship, writes Blayne Slabbert.
Anew toy robot going on sale in New Zealand next month will entertain, educate and charm you, and maybe even one day replace your pet.
Cozmo is a small connected toy which has a personality that is a mix of OCD and bi-polar. It will cost $360 and will go on sale alongside Anki Overdrive (available in October for $310), a car racing game that’s like a video game come to life.
Both are made by Anki, a US tech company that aims to bring robots out of the science lab and into your living room. Both products have been available for a while, but they are now going on sale in New Zealand. While the futuristic slot-car game Overdrive was the company’s first product, it’s Cozmo which is the most intriguing. That’s because of its human-like capabilities. It can recognise people and pets, talk, and respond to how it is treated.
These qualities lead Mark Bradley, Anki’s chief operations officer, to say Cozmo could end up replacing your pet in the near future.
This is partly because one of Cozmo’s most important attributes was its ability to provide companionship.
The pet idea continues in the way you play with it. Cozmo thrives on ‘‘unstructured play’’, just the way you interact with your dog.
‘‘He likes to play peekaboo, you can tease him, wobble him around so he gets dizzy.’’
But, like a pet, it’ll also react to how you treat it.
‘‘If you constantly tease him and irritate him, you will get a slightly different experience than when he’s feeling happy, confident and loved,’’ said Bradley, who always refers to Cozmo as ‘‘he’’ and ‘‘him’’ rather than ‘‘it’’.
‘‘He shows you his feelings, his emotional state. The more fun you have with him, the more excitable he becomes.
‘‘Anki is trying to make Cozmo the first proper pet robot in the world. A robot with personality and character.
‘‘We want people to form a bond with Cosmo.’’
‘‘In the short term he’s not going to be deep as a cat or dog but in the long term we want people to have that bond where Cozmo can respond to things that are important to you.’’
That’s why designers worked so hard to give it a personality.
Cozmo is described as mischievous, charming and unpredictable.
In the robot world, Cozmo is much closer to R2-D2 than a Roomba robot vacuum cleaner.
‘‘It’s a physical object that has come to life with an emotional development like you see in the movies, like a Pixar character. It’s aware of his state, aware of his environment, can interact with people and ultimately have a very distinguished character. And that’s pretty much like a pet.
‘‘Where I see Cosmo evolving is that in the future he’ll be able to respond to real-time events.
‘‘Having a pet robot in the home could appeal to the elderly, as a companion.’’
It would also have practical uses too.
A basic example is Cozmo’s ability to recognise people. It can potentially be programmed so when anyone it doesn’t know walks into a room, it can say ‘‘intruder alert’’.
That’s why Anki does not want to be called a smart toy company. It wants to be known for its robotics and artificial intelligence.
It’s using connected toys as a test bed so it can eventually apply what it learns to other areas, such as healthcare.
This potential is shown in the ability to use coding to give it instructions. It’s designed to be used for a range of levels, from children right up to experts.
You can unlock all his key features – including the ability to detect pets, people, colours, motion and facial expressions – so you can get it to perform a range of movements and tasks.
Bradley said this range of tasks and progression was key to maintaining the interest of children.
‘‘If you want kids to engage in coding, it’s got to be fun otherwise it becomes homework.
‘‘It’s a balance of learning and entertainment.’’
There are also games you can play with it, using the smartphone app and incorporating his favourite toys – three cubes which are included when you buy it.
Another key attribute is Cozmo’s ability to learn and develop. ‘‘Tech toys lose their appeal is they’re not updated.’’
Bradley also said connected toys offer a way to use technology without staring at a screen, and especially in the case of Overdrive, they can be social and involve friends and family.
‘‘You get a nice balance of virtual gameplay and physical gameplay.’’