The World’s First Family Robot Is Here
As children of the ‘80s and ‘90s, we all have our fond memories of Rosie the robot from The Jetsons. Who wouldn’t want a robotic maid with a quick wit zoomin’ around? Thanks to the brilliance coming out of MIT, we won’t have to wait much longer.
Dr. Cynthia Breazeal, Pioneer of Social Robotics at the MIT Media Lab, has invented the “world’s first family robot” — JIBO. Weighing in at six pounds and less than a foot tall, he definitely won’t be handling the laundry anytime soon. But thanks to the technological genius of Dr. Breazeal and her team, JIBO keeps track of your family’s schedule, can take photos and video for you and can even read a bedtime story to your kids. We think JIBO has one up on our childhood friend, Teddy Ruxpin.
What started as an Indiegogo campaign to raise $100,000 has turned into an overwhelming response of over $1.2 million so far. We think the appeal has something to do with what Dr. Breazeal calls “humanizing technology.” As the connected home evolves, we all want hardware and software to disappear into a seamless experience. What better way to do that than adding a technologically advanced member to the family?
JIBO has two hi-res cameras, 360 degree microphones, understands social cues and includes artificial intelligence algorithms to adapt to you and your family. The out-of-the-box capabilities of JIBO are awesome, but the possibilities are endless as the platform is open to developers.
JIBO is still in development with plans for full public release slated in 2016. If you’re interested in getting your very own JIBO, check out the Indiegogo campaign.
So, what do you think? Would you like a JIBO to call your own? We are dreaming of our very own washi-covered JIBO for the Brit + Co office. Share your thoughts on bringing a robot home to your family in the comments below!
