AI is making great strides in the fields of medicine and science. It helps cure diseases, fight global warming, grow crops and provide cleaner, cheaper energy. But can he do the laundry?
Samsung said yes to CES2021 (completely online this year). The Korean tech giant reports that it is working on a robot butler, or rather three, who will act as personal assistants and carry out a series of tasks around the house. One of them, the Handy Bot, will help sort your laundry.
Bot Handy: only one arm, but no fear of using it
The Handy Bot has a single arm and three points of articulation that allow enough flexibility to grab, carry and place delicate objects, such as dishes. The robot butler has cameras that with the assistance of AI can recognize objects and handle them accordingly.
The ability Bot Handy has to detect the material of the held objects ensures that the correct force will be used to secure them in its grip and bring them to a destination. It will detect, list and help sort the laundry. He can also pour a glass of wine and bring it to you after a hard day's work.
Bot Handy uses artificial intelligence to understand objects, such as a glass cup or ceramic plate, taking note of their shape and materials to work as a trusted partner. This robot butler can do things like set the table or put away groceries.
Sebastian Seung, president and head of Samsung research
How is the Samsung Bot Handy robot butler made?
The robot's elongated "face" has two eyes that close or open to convey "emotions." A rotating base allows Bot Handy to move seamlessly around a room. It can conveniently lift up to place items on the top shelf of a cabinet.
Bot Handy was shown in a demonstration video chatting with a human interlocutor. At a certain point the butler robot calculated that the person had been at the PC for a long time and needed a break. He then noted the time and informed her of an upcoming meeting, opening a built-in screen himself to prepare for a video conference.
I find this robot butler an interesting point. One of the first efforts with the prospect of going commercial showing an effort to adapt AI more specifically to consumer needs.
Bot Care and JetBot complete the trio
Samsung also unveiled a second robot at CES2021. Care bots, as it is called, was designed “to take care of the little details in your life,” according to Seung.
A third butler robot expected to be available in the first half of this year is the JetBot 90 AI +, an intelligent vacuum cleaner. Equipped with LiDAR, laser-based technology that allows for precision 3-D mapping, the Jet Bot 90 AI + can do a superior job by detecting objects in its path, avoiding fragile objects such as vases as you approach more robust ones.
Matter of philosophy
Samsung has not released details on when or if these models will be available to the public, nor has it given any pricing information.
“In the age of experience, we need to rethink the space we have to accommodate our diverse and evolving lifestyles,” he said Hyunsuk kim, president and CEO of Samsung.
A statement that is not new for the Korean company: last year, on the occasion of the CES2020 (practically the eve of the pandemic) Kim had expressed the philosophy of the brand by announcing the birth of more friendly and practical robots.
