The Verge Chinese Station reported on October 17
The relationship between humans and robots always makes us feel uneasy and inconsistent. Many scientists are committed to the development of robots, but robots always pose a great threat to the survival of human beings in movies. In addition to being in the movies, advances in robotics technology are affecting the lives of ordinary people. Automated production processes have led many workers to become unemployed and have even completely replaced human roles. Robots and artificial intelligence technologies have brought automation Covered radio, food, and even drivers.
However, this Cozmo robot from Anki Company in San Francisco is definitely not the kind of worrying robot. This Cozmo is only a palm size and is a very cute little guy. Cozmo is priced at US$180 (about RMB1210) and has been officially launched since October 16. Cozmo is a crystallization of artificial intelligence technology. Although it looks like a classic Wali robot, it is definitely smarter than a normal pet, like a real voice assistant.
In fact, Anki does not have technology giants such as Apple and Google to build magnificent goals for us. On the contrary, it is only an ideal choice. You know, artificial intelligence technology has begun to gradually change our lives, and Anki also wants to tell everyone through Cozmo, in fact, artificial intelligence can not only bring us convenience, but also bring happiness. Cozmo will tell us in a unique way how we should coexist between technology and humans, and how we should balance productivity and communication.
Actually, Cozmo was a very successful product. In the week I spent too much time with Cozmo, I discovered that this cute robot even had many subtle "quirks", and Cozmo's favorite things sometimes even made us really Can't understand. I saw the shadow of my childhood in Cozmo's body. When I was a child, I was very obsessed with my own Christmas gift, an AOL Instant Messenger robot named SmartChild.
The same is true of Cozmo's design, which aims to attract young people and children. Before Anki launched a series of highly successful smart remote-control racing toys, now the company is also associating with robotics experts of Carnegie Mellon University, which has stimulated our interest in artificial intelligence and robotics. At the beginning of this year, the Cozmo robot officially unveiled, but at that time we did not know what it really had, but now it is clear that all software and hardware features have begun to show us.
Unlike previous racing toys, Cozmo has more advanced software systems and intelligence. First, Anki uses an emotional robot programming language, which means that Cozmo can show its emotions like humans, whether it's happiness, bottlenecks, frustration, or anger. If you accidentally drop Cozmo to the ground, Cozmo's big blue eyes will “split†into an angry expression and actively raise his arms to express his dissatisfaction. Of course, if you play games with Cozmo, it will turn into a "wink" and tell you that you are very happy. However, be aware that if you beat it when playing with Cozmo, it will also be angry.
Cozmo's programming language has built more than a dozen of subtle emotional changes into its own, allowing us to see Cozmo's more humanized aspect, which is one of Cozmo's earliest features. At the same time, Cozmo’s lively and interesting facial expression changes came from Carlos Baena, an ex-Pixar animation studio designer hired by Anki, who coined more life for Cozmo. At the same time, Cozmo will come to you in front of you to express your current emotions.
If you go further with Cozmo, you will find it is a breathing, living robot, and Cozmo can remember your name through facial recognition. And Cozmo has a complex path planning system built in. When you are free to move around, you must first be familiar with the surrounding environment and prevent it from falling to the ground. In addition to being able to move freely like most robots, Cozmo can also connect to iOS or Android system smart phones, through the App to interact with the user more and let us better "take care of it."
As for how you decide to get along with Cozmo, it's your own business. For example, we can play dozens of games with Cozmo through Cozmo's matching Rubik's Cube, including a Whac-A-Mole snatching game. We can try to compete with Cozmo for this little Rubik's Cube, and Cozmo will pick it up before you. . In addition, through the smart phone app, we can accomplish different goals through gamification to unlock more Cozmo skills. For example, Cozmo can be ordered to take a free walk on the coffee table for 10 minutes, or it can be used to let Cozmo roll the cube around. The most interesting thing in the App is the remote control mode. We can observe this world with Cozmo's camera from its perspective.
Overall, Cozmo is still more like a toy and can become a good partner for children. However, for Anki, the artificial intelligence robot with facial recognition and emotional engine, because of its compact size and cuteness, can only limit the audience to children. But be aware that few parents are willing to spend $180 for a child to buy such a "cheap" little guy. Therefore, Cozmo wants to attract more robot lovers, and there are still some difficulties.
In addition, Cozmo as the first listed products, there are other shortcomings. For example, although Cozmo can be controlled by an App, the process is not very simple. Children who are too young need to be guided by adults. At the same time, Cozmo's activation must rely on a particular Wi-Fi network, but in the case of charging or standby, sometimes sudden activation will appear unresponsive. This means that without networking, it is possible to go directly to a few hours of standby. However, these problems can be solved through future system upgrades. Anki should also try to make Cozmo more independent and not rely on smart phones.
In fact, Cozmo robots still have a large potential. Anki has stated that it will launch software development kits in the next few months to allow developers to explore the potential of Cozmo more and complete more tasks that are currently unknown. Anki hopes Cozmo can produce features similar to Microsoft's Kinect motion recognition, exploiting more potential through computer vision development experts. Anki had previously stated that Cozmo could also serve as a smart home-like control center, such as the ability to control Philips Hue smart light bulbs and automatically open Netflix online video.
However, from the current point of view, Cozmo is more like a smart toy designed specifically for children, unless hardcore robot enthusiasts or developers will have a stronger interest in Cozmo, which is the most need for improvement for Anki local. We must know that if we want to make Cozmo our true "family member," we must give Cozmo more practical effects than just playing games with children. It can even help us manage our lives and bring more conveniences.
If Cozmo can really play a bigger role, coupled with its cute appearance and expression, I believe it can definitely become the new "pet" in our family. (Original author: Nick Statt compilation: Bear)
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