Anki's cute little Vector home robot launched back in October after a successful Kickstarter campaign with the ability to tell you the weather, set times, take photos, as well as being your blackjack dealer. Anki has announced that the little guy is gaining some additional functionality in the form of Amazon's Alexa, allowing it to control smart home devices, take selfies pics, and add items to your Amazon shopping list.
Besides controlling your smart home, Alexa integration means that you can manage your schedule and access Alexa skills just like you can with an Amazon Echo device. By using its HD camera and an array of 4 microphones, Anki's Vector robot can navigate around obstacles and listen for commands. He can tell when he is being touched and moved thanks to his touch sensors and accelerometer, and when his battery runs low, he will return to his charging dock without needing prompting.
“Boris Sofman, CEO and co-founder, Anki said “We’re thrilled to be working with Amazon to incorporate Alexa into an interactive mobile robot-like Vector. But function and capability alone won’t win over people in welcoming robots into their lives. We believe emotional intelligence will be a main driver for mass adoption and essential for the next generation of intelligence and functionality in the home.””
Alexa support is rolling out to Vector robots in the US and Canada from Monday (December 17th), with the UK joining the party in early 2019. While Anki says that it plans to bring Alexa integration to Vector units in Australia and New Zealand, it hasn't set a timeframe for doing so just yet.
Don't forget; you can win an Anki Vector robot of your own by entering our giveaway here.
[Giveaway] Enter to win an Anki Vector home robot!
[Giveaway] Win a Huawei Mate 20 Lite from TalkAndroid!
