AI is making great strides in the fields of medicine and science. It helps cure diseases, fight global warming, grow crops and provide cleaner and cheaper energy. But can he do the laundry?
Samsung said yes to CES2021 (fully online this year). The Korean tech giant reports that it works on a robot butler, actually three, who will act as personal assistants and do a variety of homework. One of them, the Handy Bot, will help sort the laundry.
Bot Handy: only one arm, but no fear of using it
The Bot Handy has a single arm and three points of articulation that allow enough flexibility to grasp, carry and position 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, noting their shape and materials to work as a trusted partner. This robot butler can do things like set the table or store groceries.
Sebastian Seung, president and head of Samsung research
How is the Samsung Bot Handy robot butler made?
The elongated "face" of the robot has two eyes that close or open to convey "emotions". A rotating base allows Bot Handy to move smoothly around a room. It can comfortably 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 one point the robot butler 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 an integrated 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 which shows an effort to tailor AI more specifically to consumer needs.
Bot Care and JetBot complete the trio
Samsung also unveiled a second robot at CES2021. Bot Care, this is its name, was designed "to take care of the small details in your life," according to Seung.
A third butler robot that should 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 era 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.
