The age of the robot has dawned
THREE OF THE BEST: FANCY A MECHANICAL PERSON AS A TOY IN YOUR HOME?
A century after the term ‘robot’ was coined in fiction, the automatons have finally gone mainstream. In the first of a series, Arthur Goldstuck meets a trio of humanoid consumer robots.
Ifirst met Pepper the lifesized robot waiter at a conference in Hungary last year, and was smitten. As soon as he/she/it greeted me with the words, “Hello, human”, I was captivated. However, I knew it would be many years before I would meet my new friend in a local restaurant.
But what about Pepper’s smaller relatives? What about humanoid robots designed for education, entertainment and service in the home, office and school? Back then, they seemed just as distant. But suddenly, they walk among us.
It was almost exactly a century ago, in 1920, that the term was first coined by Czech writer Karl Capek in his science fiction play, R.U.R. – short for Rossum’s Universal Robots. Since then, fiction has mostly treated these constructions as a threat to humanity. Now, the tide has finally turned.
If there’s such a thing as an entry–level for robots, this is the starter model, but you’d have to go online to bring it under your control. It costs a mere $42 from Gearbest, although shipping adds $14, but for a total that is still under R1 000.
For that, you get an “intelligent combat robot with multi-control modes”. These modes include sending instructions via a handheld remote control device, touching its head, shaking its body and – most startling of all – gesture control. While that is expected in higher-end robots, it is rare to find a gesture sensor in a budget robot.
The clue that this is about fun rather than education lies in the word “combat”, but Cady Will accepts rudimentary programming. One can set sequences of movements, sounds, and actions, ranging from walking and sliding to dancing and singing.
This means that, even while used exclusively as a toy, it exposes one to the principles of basic programming.
This doesn’t mean one needs a thinking cap for engaging with Cady Will, though. The remote control is clearly labelled, with instructions like Right hand Up, Turn Left, Speed Up, Dance, and Music.
Cady Will probably personifies the phrase, “bang for your buck”.
TODAY, ONE CAN BUY ROBOTS OFF THE SHELF, OR ONLINE. IT SEEMS THAT ONLY BUDGET DICTATES THE LIMITATIONS OF WHAT THE GADGETS CAN DO, SAY OR SING. HERE ARE SOME OF THE MODELS I’VE RECENTLY TESTED, PREVIEWED, OR ENCOUNTERED: Cady Will
Alpha 1 Pro
At the opposte end of the scale, a robot that is both taller and sleeker than Cady Will, Alpha 1 Pro, will set you back R8 499, or the price of a mid-range smartphone. For that, however, you get a delightful educational and entertainment tool. Controlled via an app – Android or iOS – it features numerous built-in modes, moods and content.
Yes, the obligatory Gangnam Style puts it through its dance moves, but then it features a collection of songs, an action-version of the story of Troy, and bedtime stories.
If those aren’t enough, music can be played through the Alpha 1 via Bluetooth.
Demonstrations of exercises, yoga moves and martial arts turn the robot into a coach and gym partner.
The key to a robot’s movements is its servo motors, and Alpha 1 packs in 16 high precision servos, and can rotate 180 degrees.
As with Cady Will, basic programming comes in the form of recording actions in sequence. However, true programming is also introduced, using a visual programming language called Blockly.
Manufactured by UBTech, it is distributed in South Africa by branded technology specialist Gammatek.
UBTech Cruzr
At the distant high end of the scale, a corporate answer to Pepper has arrived in the form of Cruzr. It is described by UBTech as “a cloud-based intelligent humanoid robot” designed for both industrial applications and domestic environments.
Taller than the average human, its key features include an 11.6” touch screen, flexible arms, facial recognition, video recording, navigational mapping, video conferencing, and surveillance capabilities. That makes it ideal for anything from security to remote employee interaction and data collection. Combined with customisable artificial intelligence business applications.
A two-channel stereo speaker and a camera with depth perception rounds out the multimedia features. A sensor array in the head, along with one Lidar sensor, six sonar sensors and 12 infrared sensors, make it not only good at avoiding obstacles, but positions the Cruzr as the state of interactive robot art.
It has between five and eight hours battery life and when it runs low, it automatically returns to its self-charging dock.