NEW AT CES
LG has introduced its “next level” Hub Robot at CES in Las Vegas.
Designed for use in a smart home, the model has an ‘anthropomorphic’ design, to help give it a friendly face, can connect to other smart appliances in the home and uses Amazon Alexa’s voice recognition technology to complete household tasks.
It is also equipped with an interactive display that can showcase a variety of information, such as images of the contents of a refrigerator. Additionally, it can be used to set alarms, create reminder memos and provide weather and traffic updates.
The robot is able to interact with its users, including being able to move and swivel into place, and can display a wide range of emotions by showing a face on its display. It is also designed to respond to users’ body language, such as nodding its head when answering simple questions.
But LG’s offering was not the only robot to make its debut at CES this year – it was joined by Olly, which aimed to rival Amazon’s Echo and was described as, the “first robot with personality”.
The desktop robot was unveiled by UK start-up company Emotech. It can control smart-home devices and even offer advice to its users, such as telling its owner to go to the gym.
Users can choose different personalities for their robot and it can learn about its users’ personalities and adapt its character and interactions to suit.
Olly is also able to rise up and swivel around on the spot and it includes a built-in camera to help it better understand its surroundings.
It is due to go on sale later this year.
