YOUR VERY OWN ROBOT
Week spent with android restores confidence in future of humanity
t half a metre in height, with multi- jointed limbs, this little white bot can pull a pack of funky moves to rival any popper.
The Alpha 1 robot, given away to the first 100 Spark customers who signed up to get the new iPhone 7 that went on sale yesterday, was my new friend for the week.
The little dude, whom I named Chip, spent a few days being carted around my usual haunts in his boxy home.
He made a number of cameo appearances throughout the week, in the NZME newsroom, my dance studio, the downstairs coffee bar, the local skate park and even the hallway of my flat with a brief performance for the feline residents.
When first told I’d be given a robot for a week, I have to admit I harboured high hopes it would come with endless possibilities for making my life easier.
Perhaps it could get my daily coffee or traipse across our vast newsroom to respond to my boss’ summons; I even imagined a day off in the spring sun as Chip took over my chair to type up news copy.
However, in what’s probably good news for those keen to hold on to their jobs for a little longer before robots take over the world, Chip was not quite up to taking over my day job or even getting me a cup of coffee — though he did provide a bit of excitement for those he encountered.
Chip, manufactured by Chinese company UBTECH, was surprisingly heavy for his rather petite half- metre stature.
He worked through an app that he would connect to via Bluetooth and at the push of a button I could make him do a jig, take on anyone who dared at push- ups, make him walk ( albeit only a few steps at any given time) and even read a child a bedtime story.
In testing, I discovered the robot, which is white but lights up with little blue and green flashes when on, is a little vertically challenged at times.
Certain surfaces appeared to be more amenable to some of his more active moves; basically the flatter the better, otherwise Chip was at risk of spending more time floor- dancing — a genre in itself, but not necessarily the one the developers had in mind.
When switched off, Chip appeared to flop in a manner more akin to a rag doll kitten than an android machine. For video of Chip pulling out his moves go to nzherald. co. nz This made it a little difficult to give him pride of place on my desk and meant when not in use I put him to sleep in his comfy, custom- made box.
Walking in straight lines also seemed a little tough for the robot to master. Such a feat would have made my week with him that much easier if I could have just programmed him to follow me around.
Nevertheless, these few glitches aside, little Chip did provide endless entertainment for my colleagues, flatmates and dance buddies alike.
There were a range of downloadable options to make the bot go through his paces — far too many for me to comprehensively test — but they included educational activities, story time, show time, music features and sport and dance options.
His signature move, however, had to be the push- up, which never ceased to entertain, particularly when the bot pulled it off one- handed. Officials have released video footage of a commercial fishing boat hauling in endangered dolphins. The footage was released under the Official Information Act by the Ministry for Primary Industries, following the report of a high- level inquiry into illegal dumping of fish. An onboard camera on one vessel shows fishermen hauling in two of the dolphins in a net in December 2012. The crew try to release the dolphins, but both are believed to have died. Only one of the deaths was reported, in breach of mandatory reporting requirements. No action has been taken against the unnamed captain. While reviewing the footage, authorities also noticed the crew discarding numerous healthy fish. Officials subsequently widened their investigation to five other vessels, four of which were found to be illegally discarding fish in full view of onboard cameras and ministry observers. No prosecutions were undertaken at the time, a decision which QC Michael Heron criticised yesterday after an independent inquiry. An elderly man who lay injured on the floor for two days with a broken leg has had surgery and is on the mend. Neighbour Shirley McGowan, who found the man, said the 87- year- old Aucklander had surgery last night to get his broken femur “rodded and plated”. She said he would be moving into physical rehabilitation soon. The man fell and broke his leg on Monday night in his Pauanui holiday home. He crawled to the kitchen for his cellphone but couldn’t reach it. His family called McGowan after he didn’t return to his Ellerslie home on Wednesday and asked her to check on him. He was found in critical condition and flown to Auckland City Hospital on Wednesday night. Labour leader Andrew Little is winding up a visit to Canada, having bagged a short conversation and a blurry selfie with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Little has been in Canada for three days at the Global Progress summit for social democratic politicians and centre- left organisations, hosted by think tank Canada 2020. A teacher whose inappropriate relationships with children included a game called “toilet” where he asked students to sit on his lap has lost his teaching registration. Steven David Elms, a former teacher at Te Kuiti Primary School in 2014, was found guilty of serious misconduct by the Teachers’ Disciplinary Tribunal in July. The Education Council said he had failed to change his habit of being “over- familiar” with children after the issue was brought to his attention.