Humanoid robots help with housework. Home robot assistant: what you can do yourself

Robot assistants.

1. Robot artist-hooligan.

A robot invented to help painters. This robot, created by Japanese designers, can do only one thing - paint walls. To paint walls, the robot uses a dual fire nozzle mounted on a hinge and connected to a tank. There are several tanks and you can fill them with several shades of paint and the robot will apply them one by one to the surface to be painted. The robot moves using a chassis and an electric motor.

2. Robot fish.

A robot fish named Danio was created to monitor the composition of water and its purification, as well as to study the behavior of fish in their natural environment. Danio was developed at the British Institute of Physics. The design of the fish robot must be such that, while constantly in the aquatic environment, the work of the internal elements is in no way disrupted.

The robot fish has the appearance of a zebrafish, which is why it got its name. The robot is so similar to the Danio fish species that when she was placed in a company of fellow fish, they, in turn, could not understand that she was a robot and tried to nail her to the school. The robot is completely autonomous and can spend a long time in the water.

3. SCV - rescue robot.

A robot created by Japanese designers. Due to the fact that the Japanese islands are prone to devastating earthquakes and tsunamis, it is very difficult for rescuers to look for people under the rubble; robot designers have created a rescue robot to help them. The robot is equipped with video cameras and the ability to transmit images to a remote monitor.

In addition to cameras, the robot is equipped with two wheels and a guide track. The unusual thing about the robot is that its entire body is hidden in a solid leather casing, and the cameras are hidden under powerful glass. Thanks to this robot, there is no fear of dust, dirt, or water, which can damage its insides. At the moment, there is a small prototype of this robot, but it is known that in the future it is planned to turn the SCV (Slug Crawler Vehicle) into a massive machine that will help in searching for people.

4. AutoMee Robot Screen Cleaner. Little cleaner.

AutoMee Robot Screen Cleaner is a small robot that can keep your tablet clean. A small toy for $40 designed to wipe the screen of your tablet.

Thanks to this little helper, there will no longer be any dust or fingerprints on the screen of your tablet.

5. Vacuum robot cleaner.

Here's another little robot that will help you keep your desk clean. Everyone has already heard about the robot vacuum cleaner, but we present to you its younger brother. If you often eat buns, cookies or other foods that crumble easily at your desk, then this small, vacuum robotic cleaner is just for you. He moves silently across the table and sucks in all the crumbs.

6. Robot for cleaning windows.

Having scoured the Internet, I realized that there are a great many such robots. Slightly smaller than robot vacuum cleaners. This robot will easily clean your dusty windows.

Due to the vacuum, the robot stays on the glass and thanks to it it does not fall down. The robot itself chooses the route along which it will be easier for it to bring your windows to shine. This pleasure will cost you about $600.

7. Robot gardeners.

Robotic gardeners from Harvest Automation. These robots are designed to help gardeners grow potted plants. In general, gardening robots do nothing except drag pots of plants from place to place, but for large greenhouses, where there are millions of pots, these robots are a great help. Considering that plants in pots need to be watered, fed, and trimmed, it turns out that moving them happens very often.

Robot gardener

The gardener robot moves the pots to a given distance and places them at a distance from each other that is currently programmed into it. The parameters can be changed. To operate, the robot gardener only needs a magnetic tape attached to the floor, which helps it navigate in space.

8. Robot strawberry picker.

Another robot designed to make the work of gardeners easier. The strawberry picker robot, like most modern robots, was developed by a Japanese company. The two-meter robot is designed to work in special greenhouses. In Japan, they grow strawberries differently from us. Japanese strawberries grow in special greenhouses and to save space, there are multi-tiered racks inside the greenhouses, and strawberries grow on these racks.

The strawberry picker robot rolls along the racks and, using three cameras, assesses the ripeness of the berry, and with them it also determines the distance to the berry. After calculating the ripeness of the fruit and the distance to it, the robot cuts the berry into a tray using a mechanized gripper. According to the developers, the robot picker can pick strawberries at night, and the farmer, coming to work in the morning, only needs to check if any berries are hidden from the robot behind a leaf.

9. Robot flashlight.

Probably in the near future such robotic lanterns will roam the streets of all megacities of the world, but for now they have appeared only in Japan. The device is called Toro-bot and it looks like some kind of alien creature.

Infrared sensors built into the robot allow robots to navigate in space and detect the approach of a person. In addition, the robots also have beacons that help them recognize each other. Each robot can be customized individually and given its own line of behavior.

10. Robot porter.

A budgee porter who must follow his owner everywhere and carry his purchases. The robot has two wheels and a basket with a capacity of 22 kg. The robot does not have a navigation system, it simply tirelessly monitors its owner and follows on its heels everywhere. For this, the robot has a special ultrasonic transmitter.

There is also a special program for smartphones to configure the robot, where you can specify at what distance the budgee should roll. After you and your budgee have made purchases, you can pack it up and put it, for example, in the trunk.

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Varvara

Creativity, work on the modern idea of ​​world knowledge and the constant search for answers

In 2015-2016, these robots, as a rule, are highly specialized - each for one type of activity. In the future, we can expect the emergence of multifunctional, universal robots capable of performing various types of activities.

Classification (varieties)

As a rule, we are talking about a mobile or voice interface to a program for controlling one or another “smart home” functionality. However, the functionality of a butler can be broader, including, for example, the duties of a personal robot (robot companion, robot assistant, etc.).

Robots designed primarily for cooking. These can also be 3D printers. One of the concepts is two manipulators controlled by an AI program equipped with technical vision. These “robotic arms” prepare food in a manner familiar to humans.

Pruning robots

Gardi is a robot for curly pruning of bushes, presented in 2015 at Robotics Expo 2015 in Sokolniki.

Trimbot2020: Kinova robotic arm mounted on a platform for Bosh Indigo lawn mowers, known in 2018.

Pool cleaning robots

Robots for bactericidal treatment of premises

There are security robots for various purposes. There are many home robots. There are security robots designed to protect apartments and houses, as well as those that can also protect the territory adjacent to the house. Mobile and fixed. For example: iCamPro Deluxe, RAMSEE. Riley, SensorSphere, Trawl Patrol.

The most prominent representative of the family of robotic pets in the 2000s was the robot dog Aibo. Although the project was promoted by Sony, it failed, and psychologists said that such a fate was quite expected for anyone who understands what people want from their pets. Among other qualities, they named “slight unpredictability of behavior,” “the ability to feel one’s duties and responsibility for a living being,” and “acting as a silent, attentive and understanding interlocutor.” The first generations of robotic pets did not provide their owners with all this, so the sad end of the project was expected. That doesn’t stop followers from trying to succeed in this field.
Examples of products: Aibo, Sony - dog; CHIP K9 is a dog.

Companions, entertainment robots, social / conversational robots, rehabilitation robots for the elderly or other categories of people in need

For example, Pepper, Asus Zenbo, Jibo, Da Zhi, etc.

Ironing robots

One of the types of household robots, the purpose of which is obvious from the name.

As of 2016.02 there are no commercial samples yet

One of the types of “household robots”, these can be used at home or, for example, in dry cleaning or laundry.

Robots for adults

A category of robots addressed, for example, to lonely, shy or sick people. There is little doubt that such robots will become widespread, first of all, in Japan, and then in other countries of the world. There are also critics who believe that this direction is unethical and can harm human society.

Devices for hygiene (toilets), feeding, entertainment of pets.

Robotic furniture is a modular design that allows you to quickly reconfigure the same room in accordance with current tasks in real time. Electric drives, obeying a programmed program or pressing buttons in an application, pull out beds or tables from the depths of the robotic complex, and configure the configuration of cabinets and shelves. And in a robotic house, even the partitions between rooms can move as the owner needs now. Both in manual mode and automatically, for example, in such a house the curtains will open just when the owner gets up, and at the same time, for example, the coffee maker will turn on.

A device for automated movement (transportation) of things while traveling. As a rule, it has the following capabilities: holds several tens of kilograms of luggage (up to 15-30 kg); is capable of independently moving behind the “owner”, focusing on the signal from a pocket radio beacon; when the signal is lost, it turns on loud beeps; Thanks to a digital camera and a set of sensors, it is able to find its way through a crowd of people without colliding with them or falling from unfenced areas or stairs.

Examples of home robot models

Da Zhi, Shandong Polytechnic University, China

Social robot. A chatbot with some additional features. Capable of “carrying on a conversation” offline.

Patin, Flower Robotics, Japan

Robot vacuum cleaner. 2015.05 The price when purchasing at an Aliexpress auction is $266.

Roxxxy, True Companion

Robot for adults.

Tony, Robotronic.ru, Russia

2015.08 It is reported that work on creating a robot suitcase has been resumed after the developers of the Russian company Robotronics received funding from one of the Skolkovo investment funds. For now this is just a concept. The idea of ​​the robot is to automatically follow its owner. The following distance is set via an application on a smartphone, communication with the three-wheeled robot is carried out via BT. If the distance increases, the smartphone and suitcase sound an alarm. The design of the robot-suitcase includes a gyroscope, photo sensors, ultrasonic and IR sensors, which allows it not to bump into obstacles, slide down inclined planes, or fall from a height. The battery charge lasts for 2 hours, the charger is built into the body, which is also equipped with a soft bumper. The user can turn on the "side lights". The maximum transported weight is up to 30 kg. The first prototype is planned to be presented in the spring of 2016. Estimated price - $2000. The idea is not original; Canadian designer Peter Yeadon came up with the Fido Lugguge robotic suitcase back in the mid-2000s, however, it never came to commercial release. Source: robotronic.ru

2015.04.26 Remain in eternity as a robot avatar? Robots that imitate human personality.

In the modern world, we are surrounded everywhere by machines and mechanisms of various types, but robots are still quite rare guests among them. And this is not surprising, because the main difference between these units and others is intelligence, which is still not fully understood by the creators themselves. And even though modern robots are still far from the artificial humanoids from science fiction novels and films, every year they become more and more advanced.

Routine work that does not require creativity is an ideal place for intelligent machines.

The fight against routine is, of course, a current direction of development, but much more important are areas of activity associated with an immediate danger to life, which is why space flights became one of the first areas of application of robots. It was here that remotely controlled robotic stations were first fully used, and the further man sent mechanical explorers, the more important the ability of autonomous decision-making by the machine became. After all, let’s say, even to the Moon the signal from the Earth comes with a significant delay, let alone Mars or other planets.

If we look deeper, the main purpose of robots is, of course, primarily to help humans, and therefore they are finding more and more applications in our daily lives.

Ten years ago, it seemed fantastic that you could go to the nearest consumer electronics store and buy a robotic cleaner, but now robotic vacuum cleaners crawling around the apartment have already become familiar even to pets, who happily use them as attractions.

Moreover, today robotic waiters, robotic cooks in restaurants, robotic butlers, etc. are already in use - we will tell you about the most interesting models.

1 More than a toy

In 2008, the French company Aldebaran Robotics released miniature robot Nao. This almost toy-like 57-centimeter device turned out to be so successful that it was sold all over the world and became the main platform for the annual RoboCup competition.

In addition to the ability to move freely and communicate with the owner using speech commands, Nao has an interactive programming interface. Using a special program, the robot can be taught to perform the necessary operations depending on given conditions, for example, to bring an item.

2 Unboring space

Oddly enough, the use of robots in space is not limited to utilitarian functions. So, the Japanese space agency launched to the ISS robot Kirobo, created for the sole purpose of entertaining people with communication.

Tomotaka Takahashi, a designer from a division of the Toyota automaker, created Kirobo based on the anime character Astro Boy, familiar to every Japanese boy. This robotic companion kept Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata busy during his flight that ended last spring.

Since then, the mechanical Astro Boy himself has been in orbit in splendid isolation. They plan to return the robonaut to Earth in 2015.

3 Robotic restaurant

A restaurant in the city of Kunshan in China boasts not only delicious food, but also very original staff: instead of the usual waiters robots deliver food to visitors. In addition, some dishes are also prepared by robot chefs.

Restaurant owner Song Yugang says he started developing robots at the request of his daughter, who asked him to make a robot helper around the house. Each robot costs about 40,000 yuan, which is no more than the annual salary of a regular employee, he said. At the same time, robots are a great way to attract visitors to a restaurant.

4 Robot Butlers

At the Aloft Hotel in Cupertino, the staff took on some of the responsibilities robots A.L.O., developed by Savioke. So, if you need an extra towel or a tube of toothpaste, a very nice electronic butler will deliver it to you. This robot communicates with the hotel's computer system using Wi-Fi and 4G, allowing it to remotely call elevators and find the right rooms.

5 Freedom for your smartphone

The crowdfunding platform Kickstarter has opened the door to a lot of really fun ideas. This trend has not spared robotics either. For example, young engineers Peter Seid and Fu Nien proposed turning a smartphone into a robot.

When mounted on a special platform on tracks, your phone is able to move around the room, carry out commands given using a special application, and can also be controlled from another smartphone or tablet via the Internet. In addition to purely entertainment functions Romo(that’s what the developers called their brainchild) will help you monitor your home while you’re away.

6 Mechanical seal

One of the most amazing robots is the development of engineer Takanori Shibata from the Japanese Research Institute AIST. Robot named Paro externally it is a baby harp seal.

It would seem, why would a robot with the most modern electronic filling need such a cute appearance? However, everything becomes clear if we say that the robot is intended for psychological rehabilitation of patients in hospitals and nursing homes. Paro is a mechanical seal that can respond to the touch and voice of patients like a living creature.

7 Best Operator

Recently, Hollywood has increasingly begun to use remotely piloted drones equipped with cameras for filming. However, today drones have become real robots - they are capable of independently holding objects in the frame and flying along a given trajectory, and almost everyone can try this, albeit not at the Hollywood level, with the help of Parrot ArDrone quadcopters.

This flying camera is easy to control using a regular smartphone or tablet. "Filling" Bebop Drone Based on Linux OS, it comes with developer tools that give users full control over the behavior of this drone.

8 Industrial cleaners

With energy prices constantly rising, many countries are paying more and more attention to alternative energy sources. So, one of the most common types is solar energy. Indeed, there are quite a lot of practically unused deserts in the world, where solar energy is abundant, and there is almost no flora and fauna that could be harmed.

However, there is another problem: sand and dust in deserts quickly reduce the efficiency of solar plantations. A solution to this issue was proposed by the Israeli company Ecoppia. Her cleaning robots E4 specially adapted for cleaning solar panels. In the future, all solar plantations in arid regions will be equipped with similar systems.

9 How is Asimo doing?

One of the first humanoid robots introduced to the world was ASIMO from the Japanese company Honda. Its development has been going on since the 80s, and the first ASIMO was demonstrated in 2000.
At that time, although he made an impression, it was clear that he was still very far from the robots from science fiction novels.

Over the past decade and a half, ASIMO has made good progress - suffice it to say that it is now able to run and play football. But the most important thing is that today it is able to perform the task for which it was conceived - to help people with disabilities in everyday life.

10 Little walking friend

Another interesting development brought to life by Kickstarter was Hexy- a small six-legged robot. It does not have any specific abilities, and its main advantage is its low price (15,000 rubles), as well as completely open-source hardware and software.

It may seem that this is not enough. However, if you look at modern analogues of Hexy, especially at their price tag, which, as a rule, is in the range from 50,000 to 100,000 rubles, the questions disappear by themselves. Therefore, if someone wants to experiment with walking robots, Hexi is the best choice.

Photo in the article: manufacturing companies; Toshiyuki Aizawa, Sheng Li, Max Rossi/Reuters; Anki; Honda Motor Co., Ltd.; Stanford University; KIBO-ROBOT; Savioke, Inc.; Ecoppia; Aldebaran Robotics; vichly4thai/Fotolia.com

Automation tools are increasingly becoming part of our lives. Washing machine, microwave, multicooker - and this list can be continued for quite a long time. But such automatic assistants can not only be bought in a store, but also made with your own hands. Three of them will be discussed in this article.

What is a robot

This is the name given to automatic devices that operate by trying to copy the principle of movement of living organisms. They can carry out various operations that have been thoughtfully implemented using hardware and software. Obtaining information about the outside world is carried out using sensors that act as sense organs, which are inherent in living organisms. In this case, there may be a connection with the operator and the ability to process his commands. Their appearance is not tied to a single standard. Thus, robots are used in production, which, for economic and technical reasons, are far from humans. This term can also be used in relation to software, for example, with the prefix “search” or as a game object - “bot”.

Home robots

Robotics is a field that has seen a significant surge of interest in recent years. This can largely be explained by heredity (amateur radio was very popular in the Soviet Union). When creating robotic structures at home, significant investments are usually not required, which allows quite a large number of people to develop such a hobby. In addition, a home robot can perform a number of useful functions, so they are often assembled to make life easier. I suggest you familiarize yourself with several representatives that can be assembled relatively easily.

What you need to practice home robotics

In the technical part, you should have a workplace, a soldering iron, solder, rosin and elements that will be used in the circuits. From a theoretical point of view, it is necessary to know what is connected and how to get the desired result. There may be certain problems with the latter, but then the Internet is at your service, where you can ask for advice and receive it in order to bring the moment when the home robot will be able to perform the tasks assigned to it. This topic is quite popular, so finding the answer to your question or asking it on a specialized website will not be difficult. Now let's look at examples of home robot assistants.

Automatic backlight

Flashlights serve as sunshine to us in the dark. This design will be useful for those who often have their hands full, as well as for people with disabilities who are not always comfortable using conventional lighting. How will she act? The robot can use an infrared signal beacon as a guide, which can be attached anywhere (shirt, shoes, object). To make it, you can use LEDs that generate a signal of the required range. The robot itself can be placed on a wheeled platform (placed on a hill) and driven by two motors (or one that can rotate in two directions). The backlight will be activated by infrared phototransistors. To bring it into working condition, you can use two switches. To prevent this home assistant robot from falling and being damaged, it can be placed in a PVC tube with additional support in the form of rubber bands. If desired, this design can be easily improved.

Cleaning robot

I propose now to consider a device whose purpose is to clean the room, slowly but surely. This model is a vibration robot and is developed on the basis of a regular brush. The components can be a vibration motor, a standard battery and a switch. Assembly is easy. It is necessary to connect the battery to the engine, and a switch to it. Next, the entire structure is attached to the brush and turned on. This home robot vibrates while cleaning the surface. The design has significant prospects for improvement.

Window cleaning robot

Perhaps the most complex design. Here, in addition to the obvious need for a motor, it is also necessary to ensure that the device can move vertically. To control the entire process it will be necessary to resort to the help of microcontrollers. To simplify the design, you can use not a battery, but connect the robot to the power supply. As a cleaning device, you can use a small motor that will constantly move the cleaning element in a circle or in two directions. To attach the structure, you can use small suction cups, which will be good enough to hold the robot, but will not stop its movement (like a gecko).

Conclusion

And that's not all the possibilities! Robots for home use can have a wide variety of uses. And don’t let the samples described in the article limit your imagination. After all, a person can create any gadgets. Home robot assistants can help with a bunch of other things: for example, you can modify an iron so that it can move independently. Or create a hand that will be attached to the ironing board and move it. As you can see, there are a lot of options. And what your home robot will be like is up to you to decide.

A person spends a significant part of his time doing such monotonous and monotonous household work as cleaning the room or working in the garden. Some people get real pleasure from this kind of activity, but for most, putting their living space in proper order is a routine, boring and not very pleasant task. Since the 50s and 60s of the last century, when the concept of a “robotic assistant” was just beginning to emerge, society was already dreaming of shifting part of its daily responsibilities to a soulless mechanized device, not subject to fatigue, stress and ready to do the dirtiest work. We are talking about robot servants and automated assistants, the prototypes of which appeared more than half a century ago.

The first mobile robot that analyzes commands and its actions

In 1966, engineers at the Center for Artificial Intelligence at Stanford University set out to create a robot endowed with the ability to independently navigate and move indoors without creating emergency situations. The project included the development of a design on a wheeled chassis with the possibility of self-learning, as well as a holistic analysis of the tasks assigned to the machine.

The device, called Shakey, was equipped with a set of sensors and a television camera to determine the current location and dimensions of objects surrounding the robot. In 1972, the Shakey project came to completion, embodying the advanced achievements of the engineers of the time in a single design. The mobile device demonstrated its capabilities in a special test pavilion consisting of several rooms connected by corridors. The robot followed the scientists' commands, pushing various objects, closing and opening doors, interacting with switches and various objects.

The promise of the algorithm embedded in Shakey pushed scientists to further work in this direction and the creation of a number of more advanced automated mechanisms, as well as the introduction of the ability of this type of device to identify and respond to voice commands.

Cordless and autonomous lawn mowing

In 1969, MowBot Inc. introduced the world to a robotic lawn mower that operates from a built-in battery without the need to connect to a home network. The battery charge was enough to cut grass on an area of ​​650 m2. And although the $795 device was very far from modern programmable “smart” devices that can be controlled even from a smartphone, the idea of ​​getting rid of wires turned out to be very interesting and received logical development.

Full-size robot Arok: both walks the dog and takes out the trash

What “house of the future” can do without robotic servants? A similar thought came to inventor Ben Skora, who presented his vision of futuristic, considering the 70s of the last century, homes with remote-controlled lamps and other technical innovations. Not without “smart” service personnel, whose place was taken by a two-meter robot Arok with a frankly creepy face.

The tasks of the mechanized giant included taking out garbage, serving drinks and even walking your four-legged pet. Of course, having an operator to manipulate the device was a must. So the staff of servants in the “house of the future” included an additional vacancy to supervise the robot assistant.

Omnibot, a popular gaming robot in Japan: background

Readers of 3DNews are very familiar with a device called Omnibot. But much less is known about its progenitor, which became one of the most compact robots of its time - Omnibot 2000. The unusual device was released in 1984, and it represented, as today, a super-technological and advanced autonomous model on the market of the most unusual toys of that time.

Omnibot 2000 had the ability to be remotely controlled, but the developers also provided for completely independent movement of their brainchild along a predetermined route. All the data necessary for the programmed movement was recorded on a tape, and the robot could be used as a waiter to deliver food and drinks at a large party.

SynPet Newton: domesticated version of the “star” R2D2

If you liked the cute and sounds-making robot R2D2 from George Lucas' Star Wars saga, then you will be interested to know that between the late 80s and early 90s there was a commercial version of it for sale. analogue - SynPet Newton. Of course, this robot, approximately 86 cm high, cannot be called an exact copy of the legendary R2D2, but the similarity in design, as they say, is “obvious.”

SynPet Newton could move freely around the apartment, boasted voice control and helped with household chores. A 16-bit microprocessor chip was responsible for its performance, as well as a wide range of sensors for fully autonomous movement in accordance with the selected mode. At the same time, SynPet Newton could communicate with residents using a special voice synthesizer, and also provide communication between its owner and the outside world using a built-in wireless phone and modem.

True, only the wealthiest Americans could afford SynPet Newton, because the price of the “smart car” was a fabulous $8,000.

The crown of evolution of humanoid robots from Honda engineers

Perhaps the most famous humanoid robot today is a device from Honda called ASIMO. It took the Japanese company's engineers about ten years to eventually bring the prototype's parameters to the current limit in the form of a combination of high speed movement, extraordinary dexterity and advanced interaction with people.

ASIMO is able to greet guests with a friendly handshake and serve drinks no worse than a real waiter would do.

iRobot Roomba: responsible for the cleanliness of your home

Robot vacuum cleaners did not manage to become a common gadget in the homes of ordinary users due to their high cost. However, some models still had commercial success and took root in the apartments of their owners, as did one of the first home mechanized cleaners, iRobot Roomba. The main task of the device, which appeared on the market 12 years ago, is high-quality, and most importantly, completely autonomous cleaning of the most difficult types of floor coverings.

Humanoid robot Reem: both a loader and an information center

Have you often had to move around a station or airport building with bulky and heavy luggage, and at the same time try to find out the information necessary to board a flight? It seems that this problem in Spain, where PAL Robotics is based, prompted a team of four engineers to develop the Reem-A robot carrier.

Previously, the developers already had experience in constructing humanoid machines that take on the role of maintenance personnel. This made it possible in 2012 to introduce a commercial model of Reem with a telecontrol function, which is not only capable of carrying loads, but also acting as an information and reference kiosk.

Subsequently, the device was upgraded to the REEM-C version - both legs were returned to it, as was provided for in modifications with the index “A” and “B”.

Your personal robotic bartender for $2700

Setting aside procedures that require moving through space, lifting loads and complex mechanical manipulations, what could a small, stationary robotic device be useful for? Of course for making a variety of cocktails. The Monsieur robot has become an example of a skillful automated bartender that will not only prepare your favorite drink, but will also happily greet its owner upon returning home. For this purpose, the designers provided a function for determining your stay in the apartment using an application for a mobile device that ensures synchronization with Monsieur and apparatus control via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.

The system is capable of not only fulfilling orders for cocktails remotely from a smartphone or tablet, but also offering you double portions of drinks if you are late at work and have had a very busy day.

The main feature of the 23-kg box with a touch screen is the number of cocktails it can prepare for guests at your party. The device includes 12 thematic variations - “non-alcoholic party”, “sports bar”, “Irish pub” and others, each of which has about 25 recipes for various drinks.

The implementation of the robotic bartender project became possible thanks to the Kickstarter crowdfunding platform, on which the Monsieur startup collected donations totaling $140 thousand.

Startup JIBO: if you are lonely and have no one to talk to

The JIBO robot, which was loved by visitors to the Indiegogo site, which brought the creators of the device over $2 million, will become a personal, sympathetic interlocutor, a polite, submissive and encouraging listener, regardless of your current emotional state.

The so-called social behavior model characteristic of JIBO, combined with advanced hardware and software components, will allow the device to find an individual approach when communicating with each family member. The device is able to independently identify the interlocutor, as well as capture his mood in order to choose the most appropriate behavior algorithm in the current situation.

JIBO, having wireless access to the Internet, will use a voice request to find recipes for various dishes for the upcoming dinner, inform you about a new letter in your email, help with purchases, and also make an appropriate joke, entertain you with a funny story and brighten up a gloomy evening with a good musical composition.

Almost anyone can get an unusual robotic friend, because the price for JIBO is only $500.

Robots on guard

An excellent way to use robotic devices is to perform security functions. And it’s true: thermal imagers, motion sensors, laser rangefinders, all kinds of cameras and “smart” systems, in theory, are capable of detecting an intruder much earlier, suspecting something is wrong and reporting a threat or an existing intrusion into a protected area than even an experienced person would do.

And if the brainchild of specialists from Knightscope is intended for passive observation and sending an alarm signal to the control panel, then, for example, the PatrolBot Mark II security robot is ready to independently counteract the intruder. To do this, a 100 dB horn and a water gun are installed on its wheeled platform, with which the operator can literally destroy the reputation and clothes of the offender.