 |
|
|
|||||
Unlike some of the robots weve seen at CES 2025, Mi-Mo doesnt have a face, but it still looks a little familiar thanks to its resemblance to the iconic Pixar lamp. Mi-Mo is still just a prototype, but there are some interesting ideas behind the unusual-looking robot walking around the show floor. The creation of Japanese firm Jizai, the company describes it as a general purpose AI robot that thinks and acts on its own. It has a built-in camera and microphones, which allows it to move around and respond to voice prompts and commands. It runs on multiple large language models that enable its voice and image recognition capabilities. When we saw it, Mi-Mo didnt show many signs of being autonomous. It mostly shimmied around the show floor and waved at people passing by, which was honestly kind of cute. Jizais Yuji Oshima told me that the company envisions it as being useful for some childcare tasks, like reminding children to do their homework and then watching over them to make sure they actually complete it. (Jizais website notes the company is also interested in using robotics for elder care.) This is Mi-Mo a "general purpose AI robot" that looks kind of like the Pixar lamp on top of a small table. pic.twitter.com/yTHq8Smnoz Karissa Bell (@karissabe) January 6, 2025 But Mi-Mo wasn't created only to be a caretaker robot. Oshima said its meant to be an open platform for developers, researchers and others to find their own ways to use the robot. Jizai also intends for it to be somewhat modular so people can customize Mi-Mo with bespoke software, additional sensors or other hardware attachments. Jizai plans to make Mi-Mo available as a developer kit later this year and has opened a waitlist where interested parties can sign up for updates. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/this-six-legged-lamp-might-help-your-kid-with-their-homework-183046893.html?src=rss
Category:
Marketing and Advertising
Some of the best tech we see at CES feels pulled straight from sci-fi. Yesterday at CES 2025, I tested out Neural Lab's AirTouch technology, which lets you interact with a display using hand gestures alone, exactly what movies like Minority Report and Iron Man promised. Of course, plenty of companies have delivered on varying forms of gesture control. Microsoft's Kinect is an early example while the Apple Watch's double tap feature and Vision Pro's pinch gestures are just two of many current iterations. But I was impressed with how well AirTouch delivered and, unlike most gesture technology out there, it requires no special equipment just a standard webcam and works with a wide range of devices. Neural Lab's software is compatible with tablets, computers and really any device running at least Android 11, Windows 10 and later or Linux. The technology was developed with accessibility in mind after one of the founders had trouble keeping in touch with their parents overseas because navigating video conferencing programs was just too difficult for the older generation. The Neural Labs representative I spoke with added how his parents preferred using an iPad to a computer/mouse/keyboard combo because touch controls are so much more intuitive. With AirTouch, they can use their TV much like they do a tablet. In addition to accessibility, there are plenty of commercial applications too such as letting surgeons manipulate MRI scans without touching anything or a more commonplace scenario like moving through slides in a presentation. AirTouch tracks 3D hand movements and keys off of eye gazes to recognize intent, allowing it to ignore extraneous gestures. It currently supports nine gestures and customization allows users to program up to 15. I tried out two demonstrations: a 3D screen with an animated image of a tree frog and a monitor displaying a webpage on a browser. On the 3D screen, holding up one finger dropped a pinecone on the frog's head, two fingers dropped an acorn, a thumbs up spun the frog around on its leaf perch and a quiet coyote gesture turned it back. It took me all of 15 seconds to learn and use the four gestures and soon I was raining down acorns on the poor frog like some ill-tempered squirrel. It was nearly as easy (though not quite as fun) to control the screen displaying the web browser. Moving my hand around dragged the cursor across the screen and pinching took the place of clicking. I was able to scroll around on a streaming site, pick something to play, pause it and start it back up again within seconds of learning the hand movements. There were a few instances where my movements didn't do the thing I'd hoped, but after a few tries, I started to get the hang of the controls. AirTouch is available now as a $30-per-month subscription for individuals (and $300 monthly for companies). Neural Labs says it takes just five minutes to install the software on any compatible device. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/neural-labs-airtouch-brings-gesture-control-to-windows-and-android-devices-with-just-a-webcam-180031750.html?src=rss
Category:
Marketing and Advertising
I tried to go into meeting Mirumi with a heart of steel. There are a lot of cute robots at CES every year, that is a given, and you cant just let yourself get wooed by every puppy-eyed bot that looks your way. But boy did I melt immediately when that silly little thing locked its gaze on me, then bashfully tucked its head away. Mirumi is the latest bizarre-but-endearing robot from Japanese startup Yukai Engineering, the company responsible for the Qoobo cat-tailed pillow and the finger-nibbling kitty plush, Amagami Ham Ham. All it does is stare at you and move its head around a little until youve successfully been tricked into a few moments of happiness. The idea is to emulate that distinctly joyful experience of meeting eyes with a baby in public a quick, random interaction that can turn your mood around. Mirumi looks like the combination of a fledgling bird and a shrunken-down yeti, and its long arms let it cling to objects like a purse handle so it can come along wherever you go, and stare down strangers. Inside Mirumi is a distance sensor and an inertial measurement unit, which tell it when there are people nearby and when its on the move or being touched. It has different responses for each of these scenarios. When a person first comes into its line of vision, for example, it will get shy and briefly hide its face, like it did for me. Then, it cautiously peeks out again. Jostle it around and it might shake its head, No. It doesnt make any sounds. Cheyenne MacDonald for Engadget Playing with Mirumi at CES Unveiled, I found myself delighted at absolutely everything it did. It has a nice bit of weight to it when you pick it up, sort of like a tiny kitten. And on that same note, its little movements make it give off a subtle vibration, almost as if it were purring. I hooked its bendable arms around my wrist, which also had a bulky watch on it and a camera dangling by the strap, and Mirumi felt pretty secure on top of all that as I gently waved it around. On a thinner perch, like a bag strap, its arms wrap fully for a better hold. (I probably wouldnt trust it to stay on if I was in a packed subway car or similarly crowded environment, though). Mirumi is rechargeable and should last about eight hours before it needs to be plugged in again. We dont know yet what the final color options will be, but Yukai had white, black and peach Mirumis on display. The company is planning to launch a crowd-funding campaign later this year before releasing the robot, and it hasnt yet been determined if it will be sold internationally. Is it kind of ridiculous? Yes, absolutely. Especially when you consider the price: around $70, according to a Yukai rep. But kind of ridiculous is Yukais whole thing, and at least for me (and just about every person who stopped by during the demo), Mirumi elicited the exact emotional response it was made for. This is all about making people around you happier, Yukais Hiroko Sato said during our chat at CES Unveiled. I cant really hate on that. Speaking of ridiculous, Yukai is also showing off a small cat-shaped device called Nékojita FuFu that will blow on food or a hot drink to cool it off for you. Its curved arms hook onto the side of a mug or bowl, or it can be set down on a flat surface to blow on a plate. Cheyenne MacDonald for Engadget The company says it can bring down the temperature of hot water by 30 degrees Fahrenheit in three to five minutes. We didnt have any scalding liquids on hand to test that out on the show floor, but its basically just a small fan with different blowing modes packaged in a cute silicone body, and the fan did indeed blow air. As a person who waits an annoyingly long time to take the first sip of coffee or soup because Im really sensitive to temperatures, I can appreciate an option that doesnt involve me doing all that work. I cant see myself going out and buying this, but it strikes me as the sort of product that makes for a fun gift the kind thats partially a joke, but also functional. Nékojita FuFu is expected to be released later this year for $25 following a crowd-funding campaign. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/this-fluffball-robot-stole-my-heart-at-ces-2025-173009630.html?src=rss
Category:
Marketing and Advertising
All news |
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||