TheBuzz
TheBuzz
Techie toy for
grown-ups with
grown-up budgetsIt can see, hear and obey commands, like a dog. It can't go upstairs like a dog but one needn't clean up its indiscretions from the floor, either.
A dog generally won't remind you to take the muffins out of the oven until smoke is pouring forth and a dog can't take video of the new baby and e-mail it to grandma on the mainland.
ER1 can.
WWW.EVOLUTION.COM Manufactured by California-based Evolution Robotics Inc., the laptop-driven personal robot has only been on the market a few weeks.
It is not your kids' R2D2 robot or "Poochie."
"We are definitely not going after the toy-buyer," said Jennifer McNally, senior director of marketing. Not at $599.99 they're not.
Its price at CompUSA and other electronics stores is the same as on the manufacturer's Web site at www.evolution.com. Some assembly is required.
"ER1 is really targeted to the robotics hobbyist," she said, "We really think it is the precursor to robots for the masses." McNally compares the current status of personal robots to the personal computer, circa 1979, before "killer apps" were developed making them an indispensable part of daily life.
The robot "is a product that gives a person functionality that you can choreograph," McNally said. Then she said something about it being gooey.
"That's graphical user interface," or G-U-I, she explained patiently. "So like, DOS was text-based and Mac was the first GUI. You point and click and basically choreograph the robot's functionality to do something."
Better yet, "We're about to release a beta version of a python interface for ER1."
Your columnist required another translation.
"Python is a scripting tool that's very popular among software developers. It's an easy tool to script more complex tasks in less strenuous code."
Riiight.
The industrial robotics industry is huge, McNally said, citing automobile manufacturing as an example. Technology has reached a point where processing power is cheap enough to bring artificial intelligence and "computer vision" to the consumer level, she said.
"Oh, the camera thing," your columnist chimed in.
"Really, it's the ability to interpret visual data and react," said the long-suffering McNally. "ER1 is the first robot on the market that gives consumers access to computer vision that they can use to do things. It can recognize color, objects and locations and it can detect motion and it can use that information to take action. If it sees motion it could e-mail you that there is motion in certain areas. That would be a security application," she said.
Other applications can be found by perusing the Web site's "robot control center" page, a users' forum and in the list titled, "50 Things To Do With Your ER1." It suggests several reminder-type functions but says the robot can also play music, e-mail images, shush the dog for barking, stand at the door and tell people you are in a meeting, pay the pizza delivery professional, read aloud to children and co-star in a comedy skit.
Some functions require additional accessories such as a gripper arm, which, like a Ken doll, is sold separately.
Erika Engle is a reporter with the Star-Bulletin.
Call 529-4302, fax 529-4750 or write to Erika Engle,
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210,
Honolulu, HI 96813. She can also be reached
at: eengle@starbulletin.com
