MIT prof creates first family robot; sells 4,800 units

The robots of today can be a little bit underwhelming.

Mention robots and people think cold machines, mechanical movements, and rigid arms churning out consumer goods on the factory floors every second.

Military robots such as the Big Dog and Atlas, while encouraging, lack the human touch and civilian appeal, both of which they were not meant to be built for.

The smart home envisioned by many technologists is at best, still in its nascent stage, with smart thermostats (Nest) and robotic vacuum cleaners (Roomba).

Enter the JIBO, a mini 'family robot' equipped with artificial intelligence that can remind you about your appointments, read your messages, and even take photos for you!

Measuring 28cm tall and weighing approximately 2.7kg, JIBO is the brainchild of social robotics pioneer Dr. Cynthia Breazeal, who is also an associate professor at the Massachusetts Insitute of Technology.

Two hi-res cameras with facial-recognition and tracking technology allows JIBO to identify faces and engage in video calling while 360° microphones allows for all-round interactivity.

With two speakers as the mouth and artificial intelligence as the brain, JIBO is able to communicate at an emotional level.

The lynchpin to JIBO is probably its artificial intelligence, allowing the robot to recognise different voices and interact accordingly, such as delivering the right message to the right person.

The interactive feature of JIBO allows it to be more than a smart robot assistant. According to its crowd funding website on Indiegogo, JIBO offers 'companionship' through its smart features like storytelling, taking photographs for the family, and even ordering takeaways.

The makers behind JIBO has cautioned that while not all the skills may be available at launch, most of them will be part of its inaugural 'core set' to be released in 2015. 

There will be more skillsets available overtime, which can be purchased from the JIBO store, such as acting as a home security system by watching over your house and pets when you are away.

After two months of crowd funding, JIBO's Indiegogo campaign enthralled many supporters, raising US$2,287,910 (S$2,914,145.29) by Sept 14, making it the most successful technology campaign on Indiegogo. The makers had a modest aim of raising US$100,000, but they exceeded their target by 2,288 per cent, with over 4,800 JIBOs pre-ordered.

Based on its Indiegogo video campaign, JIBO appears to yield much promise, if the makers are able to fulfil its promises.

The crowd funding cemetery tells cautionary stories of startups that appeared to have so much potential initially, only to flop when it was time to deliver the products. The same remains to be seen for JIBO and its creators.

JIBO looks cutesy on the outside, almost like an R2-D2 robot with the Siri function. 

Whether it can deliver a mean punch - enough to convince its first adopters and create a solid fan base, is still up for debate.

There are still many limitations to JIBO - obvious ones include its stationary concept, power consumption, cloud security and privacy concerns. Are we able to see a C-3PO next? 

While the JIBO is still far from being able to do basic household chores like the laundry and dishes, it is one small step for a robot, and one giant leap for the machines.

grongloh@sph.com.sg

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