A crowdfunded company set to come up with a robot called Aido has said security is one of the main reasons customers would buy their product.
A crowdfunded company that is set to come up with a robot for home automation, assistance, entertainment and much more, has said that security is one of the main reasons customers would buy their product.
Called Aido, this child-sized robot balances on a ball to maneuver itself through your home. It is voice activated, recognizes familiar faces and objects and can be integrated with your smart home devices. It claims to be able to play with your kids, help you with household chores, handle your schedule and keep your home safe. It is being launched through the crowdfunding site Indiegogo, where it has already found quite a few backers.
Speaking to asmag.com, Arshad Hisham, Founder and CEO of InGen Dynamics, the makers of Aido, said that their robot is one of the most anticipated products. It is scheduled to be in the market this year, and the company appears to be planning various events where people can get to know the robot better.
“Essentially, Aido is supposed to be a companion robot that you can take home,” Hisham said. “We see three main pillars, or rather use cases, of the product. The first one is a personal assistant, two as an entertainment hub and three as a security and automation hub. These are the three main pillars on which the product is built.”
In terms of security, the company expects a strong demand. In fact, when they initially did a market study prior to product design, one of the key findings that stood out was that the amount of money their potential customers were willing to spend on a robot was equal to what they would shell out for a security system.
“When we asked them what they were willing to spend on a robot or what would make them buy the robot, one of the main answers was security,” Hisham said. “If they could get something like a monitoring device, then their money seemed well-spent. Whatever else they get was considered a bonus. So, one of the first things we found out was that security is one of the main reasons that customers want to spend on such a product.”
The robot can detect suspicious activity, and when you are not at home you can set it to move in a fixed path that would help monitor the house. Aido can be controlled through an android or iPhone app. It could also be one of the creepiest home security robots launched yet. For instance, as per the promo-video, the robot can watch you while you sleep, waiting for you to wake up!
It could also be one of the creepiest home security robots launched yet. For instance, as per the promo-video, the robot can watch you while you sleep, waiting for you to wake up!
Aido is definitely one of the most interesting home robot projects we have encountered. Its unique shape and size make it one of a kind in an industry that’s fast getting filled with robots. However, we are yet to see the product in real-world use and will have to wait and see how it performs in terms of security.