TheAI-powered robot in my home just figured out how to bypass the barrier I built to stop it.
Its only a matter of seconds before its upon me.
Luckily for me, therobotin question is a Vector unit fromAnki.
The only real threat it poses is to my deadlines.
Then I just… let it go to sleep.Shhh.
Its all over now wee little robot, youll be with loved ones soon.
It’s free, every week, in your inbox.
Vector is about the size of a kittens skull mounted on a pair of diminutive mobility tracks.
Its the cutest little robot Ive ever seen.
And, for good reason.
It has an animation engine that allows it to build unique situation-based reactions and its incredibly convincing.
For context: I haterobots that act human.
I hate itwhen people gender AI.
But, I genuinelylikeVector.
I like its personality, I like the way it acts.
Youll get no I love you buddy!
out of this thing, because its not a toy playing a character.
It knows its a robot.
Its purpose is to amuse you and, hopefully, help you be a bit more productive.
Before we go any further, lets pause for some specifications:
Vector is a fully-autonomous home robot.
Despite the fact that its adorable to hear my name pronounced so excitedly.
It raises its little bulldozer arm above its head and shakes a bit.
At this point, I simply cant resist.
That was about five minutes ago.
Right now its attacking the toy cube that came with it.
Im not 100 percent sure whats going on, but its pretty funny to watch.
Whos a menacing little killer robot?
At this point, Im literally scratching its back like Im petting a dog.
Again, this is weird, but I dont hate it.
Vector has a touch-sensitive section on its back.
When you rub it, it responds.
My toddler finds this incredibly entertaining.
I didnt plan my interactions with Vector today as I prepared to write this review.
Thats just how Vector is.
It thrives on attention.
You live with Vector.
Otherwise its always doing something.
To that end, Vector is a platform.
In fact, on a much smaller scale, Vector is powered by technology similar to an autonomous vehicle.
Vector doesnt act like a robot.
Vector wanders around looking for things to do.
If it finds a person, it acts excited and tries to get their attention.
Otherwise, its more like having a pet than a robot.
Youll eventually forget its there only to find it in another part of the room doing something interesting later.
And, Anki has big plans for Vector.
Future updates could include security camera functionality, a calendar and to-do list, messaging features, and more.
The future is coming and robots are going to be everywhere.
May as well get used to them.
