In case you missed it, the robots are here.
No, not the apocalyptic hordes of artificially intelligent machines that some believe are destined to enslave or eradicate us (hello, Boston Dynamics!), but the everyday devices and companions that are rapidly becoming commonplace. After decades of lofty sci-fi-inspired promises, robots like iRobot's Roomba vacuums and the many iterations of the Sony Aibo robodog are slowly carving out their places in our domestic lives. Even Amazon's Alexa is arguably a disembodied robot.
SEE ALSO:This tiny robotic spider might one day perform surgeries inside your bodyA new entry into the field is Anki's Vector. Vector is a small tabletop robot with big features. First and foremost, unlike other "robots" like those from Sphero or even WowWee, Vector doesn't need a smartphone to control it. It's fully autonomous and loaded with sensors, enabling it to interact with and learn from its environment from the get-go.
Vector is another milestone for Anki, a company that's had one of the most interesting stories in tech. Unknown to the world before its splash launch at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in 2013, the robotics company has come out with several products, including intelligent toy race cars and a previous, more limited robot, Cozmo.
Where does the robustly funded company go next? And when will it move its robotics business into something more capable (i.e. not a toy). Anki CEO Boris Sofman dropped by Mashable's MashTalk podcast this week to give us the full story of his young company, why it's so focused on the "personality" of its robots, and what he sees in the future for domestic robots and AI.
You can subscribe to MashTalk on iTunesor Google Play, and we'd appreciate it if you could leave a review. Feel free to hit us with questions and comments by tweeting to @mashtalkor attaching the #MashTalk hashtag. We welcome all feedback.
TopicsArtificial Intelligence
(责任编辑：焦點)
Researchers create temporary tattoos you can use to control your devices
10 of the films people are most excited about at Cannes
7 times Chris Cornell made us weep with his amazing voice
All the outlandish things Trump said in his commencement speech for the Coast GuardPole vaulter claims his penis is not to blameMan stumbles upon his phone background in real life
Life imitates tech. Or, perhaps it's the other way around.Reddit user xbshooterwas traveling near Sa
...[详细]Surprise! Fans are as obsessed with the 'Twin Peaks' revival as the original
Revivals are a risky but booming business. They earn money, they create buzz, but more often than no
...[详细]There are now more people on this Chinese platform than on Twitter
You've probably never heard of this platform, but it's already surpassed Twitter in terms of users.
...[详细]This old 'Twin Peaks' quote could be a big clue to where the new Season is headed
Warning: Contains spoilers for the first four episodes of Twin Peaks: The Return.Trying to decipher
...[详细]Ivanka Trump's unpaid interns share cringeworthy financial advice
Ivanka Trump's interns have some questionable advice for students worried they can't afford an unpai
...[详细]Google's new Google Photos update can now automatically share your selfies
Google took to the stage at its big developer conference, Google I/O, on Wednesday and announced sev
...[详细]'Red Dead Redemption 2' delayed, but we get new screenshots
Red Dead Redemption 2is being delayed until spring 2018, Rockstar Games said today in a blog post.Th
...[详细]Julian Assange tweets a simple response as Sweden drops rape investigation
Julian Assange can now (almost) walk free. SEE ALSO:Pamela Anderson really, really wants you, and th
...[详细]Snapchat is about to explode in popularity, report says
Snapchat is about to have a couple of really good years. 。The company will see huge gains in the numb
...[详细]We're getting 11 beautiful 'Overwatch' hero skins
Today is Overwatch's first birthday and there are a bunch of amazing new hero skins to celebrate the
...[详细]Dressage horse dancing to 'Smooth' by Santana wins gold for chillest horse
Astronauts to go on 'contingency' spacewalk to fix Space Station
