Meet LG's multitasking, pet-sitting, AI-powered home robot: more helper, less Terminator

[midian182]

In brief: In what could be the first example of an AI and robot integration that isn't going to steal jobs or kill us all, LG has revealed a distinctly non-threatening bot that can perform a multitude of tasks as it wanders around your house, including keeping an eye on your pets when you're not home.

LG's smart home artificial intelligence agent, set to be shown off at CES in a couple of weeks, uses its two legs and set of wheels to navigate a user's home independently.

LG says the robot is a home manager and companion rolled into one, able to use its speaker and various sensors to gather real-time environmental data, including temperature, humidity and indoor air quality. The bot can also interact with smart home devices and even autonomously patrol a home when an owner is away, sending notifications if it discovers an open window or light that has been left on. One feature that could appeal to pet owners is the robot's ability to allow animal parents to see and care for their pets remotely and send alerts if any unusual activity is detected.

"Have you ever seen Megan?"

The companion part refers to the robot greeting users when they return home. LG says it can discern their emotions by analyzing their voice and facial expressions, and select music or other content to suit their mood. That presumably means it'll play something to boost your emotional state, rather than blasting out Radiohead and sending sad people into a spiral of depression.

The robot can also perform digital assistant-style tasks such as providing personal schedules and giving people reminders.

The AI agent is equipped with Qualcomm's Robotics RB5 Platform, a software and hardware package designed to support the development of smart, power-efficient, and cost-effective robots. This enables features such as face and voice recognition via the camera and microphone. LG says the robot can move, learn, comprehend, and engage in complex conversations.

LG says it is positioning the AI agent as a way to free customers of household chores, part of its "Zero Labor Home" vision.

No word on how much LG's robot will cost. Amazon's similar Astro robot is $1,450, so don't be surprised if LG's bot is priced around the same mark or higher.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/101357-meet-lg-multitasking-pet-sitting-ai-powered-home.html

 

[nismo91]

They should've returned to make phones. maybe only one or two models each year like nothing and oneplus.

 

[p51d007]

Oh goodie! A nice little robot pet, with a camera, showing someone who hacks the system and downloads the file EVERYTHING in your home. (yeah, that would never happen). /s

 

[3volv3d]

Whoa whoa whoa.... Whoa.......the ****. I find Radiohead's music great and therefore not depressing in the slightest.

Rude!

 

[Atmajaya2020]

Its cute..
kinda hoping one day robots will be a M3GAN-like..
with a lot lot less phycho AI tendencies, of course..

 

[WhoCaresAnymore]

Self contained, not connected to the outside world. That's the only robot I would want. NO connectivity, unless I connect to it with my computer.

 

[wiyosaya]

Well, I'm sure it wasn't designed to be Chucky! But why even title and article like this? Its not like the world has all of a sudden found itself in the midst of Terminator like A.I. of any sort.

 

[kira setsu]

Its cute..
kinda hoping one day robots will be a M3GAN-like..
with a lot lot less phycho AI tendencies, of course..

keep the psycho-killer sub routine in.
I like a robot that can defend itself.

 

[PurpaFur]

Until a home robot is released that can ACTUALLY do household chores, such as running a load of laundry or cleaning the kitchen, I have no use for it. Why would I need a robot patrolling my house when security cameras can do that quite easily? All I see here is an annoying device that will follow me around, doing everything EXCEPT for what I ask it to do, and getting underfoot as I try to walk around my own home.

Pass.