That’s a quote from Elon University, from way back in 2006. Needless to say, the robot revolution hasn’t quite manifested. But you’d be hard pressed to tell that from a quick tour of CES 2020, where the future still seems as robotic as ever. Robots, and the artificial intelligence that powers them, have taken some great strides in the past few years (literal strides, in some cases). But the AI advancements that have the biggest impact tend to quietly insert themselves into your life. For example, I just recently noticed how Gmail casually auto-suggests spelling corrections for me, as well as phrases I might want to write next. In a few months, I’ll barely notice its presence. At CES 2020, however, robots are designed for the opposite. They’re flashy innovations designed to stir up interest. Here’s a closer look at which robots have debuted at the big tech event. Too flashy? It might be! I don’t see too many practical applications to Ballie that couldn’t be accomplished better with a smartwatch. And smartwatches can go up stairs. Still, this is an undeniably cute robot, which counts for a lot at CES. Surprisingly for a robot that looks like a cat, this CES robot isn’t all flash and no substance. It’s already in service at 2,000 locations in China, so the proof of concept is strong. And restaurants, with their complex but learnable floor plans and constant stream of table-dependent orders, seem like the perfect training ground for a programmable, machine-learning robot. It’s pretty easy to imagine the software we use to help waiters starting to incorporate robots like this, with a few updates. Is a toilet-paper-delivery bot really something that could help humanity in its darkest hour, or is it just a feint towards usefulness from what’s clearly a brand extension? On one hand, running out of toilet paper before your, uh, porcelain throne business has wrapped up, is certainly a problem we’ve all run into. On the other hand, if you run out of toilet paper often enough to need this robot, you’re unlikely to be the sort of person who remembers to restock your robot in the first place. While it can serve a few practical purposes — it’s camera-equipped, letting users remotely snap photos of any room in their house for security — the main goal is just to provide a plush, huggable robot pet for your home. It’s currently available for purchase in Japan, at around $2,770. Is it worth the price? You tell me. If you like the idea of it, it certainly appears to deliver on what it promises to do. — Taylor Soper (@Taylor_Soper) January 6, 2020 Picnic is betting big on this innovation, Geekwire reports, with a pizza-as-a-service business model that could soon expand to include sandwiches, salads, and tacos. This is probably the least flashy robot to arrive at CES this week, but it’s the most likely to turn into the next huge startup. Developed by Elephant Robotics and funded through a crowdfunding campaign that blew past a $20,000 goal to nearly hit six figures, this bionic cat bot serves a similar purpose as Lovot: It’s a home-based robotic pet. Interestingly, its AI is designed to change MarsCat’s personality depending on how you pet it, in order to ensure every pet is unique. Honestly, that sounds like more responsiblity over my pet’s personality then I want, but to each their own. On the bright side, it’s definitely not going to use a litter box. Although if it did, you could just ring up Charmin and ask for Rollbot.
