Artificial Intelligence has inspired many Sci-fi Hollywood films. This time you can say that Anki (Robots and Artificial Intelligence Products manufacturing company) has been inspired by a fictional robot from the science fiction Star Wars. After Anki Drive and Cozmo, Anki has launched its new home robot named Vector which is quite similar to the fictional robot Droid in the movie Star Wars.
Vector is said to be as the elder sibling of Cozmo as it has got additional features. Like Cozmo, it is a tiny robot that can fit into your palm. Vector is like a home robot that will roam around and will give you the feel of a pet. This tiny robot is launched on 8 August 2018, on Kickstarter. It costs near $249 and will be available at a discount for the early buyers. The early-buyer campaign will start on 6 September and will last till 30 September. Vector is on the costly side as Cozmo priced $180, as it is smarter than Cosmo.
1) Look and Size: Vector is a small robot having a height of three inches and can easily fit into your palm. It has got an arm through which it can lift lightweight objects and can respond to your commands. It is so small that sometimes you can miss it on the floor, so it must be allowed to wander on the table or shelves to avoid any kind of damage.
2) No Device Connected: You just need to connect Vector with wifi and rest is on its own. It does not need any tethering device to control it. It is equipped with the 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and is fully autonomous.
3) Designed to Learn: Vector is self-sufficient as it is designed to learn. It is must be kept on all the time so that it walk around and examine things. It will go to the new things it sees, look at them, will try to push and will investigate to know more about them.
4) Functionality: This tiny robot uses its four microphones to figure out the commands, and responds in its robotic voice. With the help of its 120-degree HD camera, it captures the faces and can recognise them later. It can call your name and will respond to your hello. You can ask it about the weather or about some new and it will give you the right answers.
Vector is smarter, yet has got an emotional quotient, as it was designed in the way that people focus on its personality, more than its functionality. Vector can behave like your pet and will play around with you just like Coszmo does. It is respondent to its owner and whirls around when called by him. Also with its touch sensors, it recognises the touch of its owner. It can also make direct eye contact with its high-resolution IPS display that gives a lively feel to its activities. It has got tank-like tread to walk and is rounded out by a 6-Axis IMU.
All in all, Vector is a complete package of a home robot that will roam around and gives you the feel of a companion around you. The robot will be shipped in the October of this year to the backers and its official release date will be October 12, 2018.
Yashica is a Software Engineer turned Content Writer, who loves to write on social causes and expertise in writing technical stuff. She loves to watch movies and explore new places. She believes that you need to live once before you die. So experimenting with her life and career choices, she is trying to live her life to the fullest.