A Star Wars robot to protect your home

ANYONE who has seen the new Star Wars film might think the latest gadget from LG is straight from the movie set.

But while the Rolling Bot from the mobile phone maker may resemble the loveable Star Wars BB-8 droid, it is no toy.

LG insists the spherical robot ( pictured) has a serious purpose: home security. The ball’s onboard camera can transmit live pictures to a mobile phone app, which is also used to guide it around the house, so homeowners can see what is going on at their property while they are away. Revealed at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the bot links to LG’s latest phone – the G5 – via a wireless internet connection. It will eventually be compatible with other phones.

It is fitted with a speaker and a laser, which is solely to be used as a toy for entertaining pets. The product will be released later this year, but a price has yet to be announced.

Elsewhere at the conference was Samsung’s latest foray into the internet of things – a term for household devices designed to connect and communicate with each other.

The tech giant revealed its Family Hub refrigerator, which will be able to detect when a family has run out of milk and will learn whether they prefer full-fat or semiskimmed. The smart fridge uses internal cameras and sensors to suss out what produce needs replenishing. It then sends a message to a large touch screen on the door of the fridge, and this can be connected to online grocers, enabling families to press a button to stock up on essentials direct from the appliance by using online home delivery services currently available from supermarkets such as Waitrose and Sainsburys. The app will remember ‘favourite’ orders which are purchased again and again to make shopping easier. The fridge costs around £3,500 and will launch in the US in May, but Samsung has not set a UK release date yet.

And for all those who have spent too much time in front of the fridge, technology company AIQ is to launch ‘smart clothing’ – sports kit which gives you tips on keeping fit. Wearable electrodes and stainless steel fibers are embedded into the BioMan sports gear to monitor activity and report back to a smartphone app.