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“Alexa, go next door and check if I left my glasses by the bed.”
This is just one of many potential tasks a robot with both Amazon’s virtual assistant and autonomous navigation skills could take on in your home. It sounds appealing, right?
Robotics company Robotemi announced at CES on Monday that it’s bringing Alexa to its Temi robot, which goes on sale in March this year. The robot was originally designed to provide home assistance to the elderly using telepresence skills. Now, with its screen providing and Echo Show-like experience, it transforms into a voice-activated tool that can perform a whole range of tasks that go beyond video calling, from controlling the lights to showing YouTube videos.
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Temi is not the first robot to be equipped with Alexa — you can look to the small, humanoid Ubtech Lynx for that. The tiny tabletop Anki Vector also gained Alexa capabilities at the end of 2018. But Temi is the first robot that can navigate autonomously around a space to have Amazon-powered virtual assistant skills.
Perhaps the one thing Temi is lacking that really could see Alexa-powered robots taken to the next level is an arm that would allow it to fetch and carry (those glasses?), as well as complete simple manual tasks. These are features that could make a real difference to the disabled or elderly. As Alexa and other virtual assistants get smarter and more skilled over time, it will be fascinating to watch the ways in which they can combine with robots to play a role within our increasingly smart homes.
If you fancy upgrading your Echo Show to something more mobile, Temi will go on sale in the US in March for $1,499 including shipping.
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