Month: May 2018

The personal robot temi refactors robotic human behaviors we encounter in the “iPhone Slump,” and moves those back to actual robots.

When I was a child, I viewed as a child—viewed a lot of science fiction, that is. We were promised a future with amazing robots. As a child, I viewed that as a completely awesome possibility. Fully embodied robots with which we could talk, reason, argue, and possibly even trade jokes. Robots sophisticated enough to understand emotion. How cool would that be? Rosie in The Jetsons. Class B–9-M–3 General Utility Non-Theorizing Environmental Control Robot from Lost In Space. Maschinenmensch from Metropolis. Bishop 341-B in Aliens. Replicants!

That was a long time ago. Along the way, we got some amazing science fiction-ish tech marvels. For example, Steve Jobs’ “god phone”—which reeducated +2 billion people worldwide how to communicate effectively, or something. I only met Steve once, and he’s been gone for several years now. Even so, I encounter his ghost everyday: myriads of people slumped over, absorbed in swiping their smartphones, unknowingly mimicking Jobs’ edgy indifference to the world around—exercising their primary means of “communicating” with others. Yeah, I do it now, too.

What about the AI we’d been promised by futuristic stories? That raptured off to ephemeral clouds. Machine learning, disembodied. More closely resembling the “bodiless exultation of cyberspace” described in William Gibson’s Neuromancer novel. Heartless and sometimes horribly biased algorithms, carefully cordoned behind layers of firewalls. Secretly curated as “disruptive accelerators of synergies” by product managers hellbent on their drive toward GA. Digital innovation hubs of collaborative social multidisciplinary ecosystem working groups! Gobbledegoo exhaust from a strange new species of corporation hellbent on racing toward trillion dollar valuations. Nothing even vaguely close to the cuddly likeableness of Rosie the robot, zooming brightly on her castor wheels with antennae blaring.

That’s probably why I felt so captivated by the AI NY ’18 keynote “Autonomy and human-AI interaction,” by Professor Manuela Veloso at CMU. Her team has developed CoBots—short for Collaborative Robots—which are capable of seeing, planning, and moving. One catch: based on CMU’s concept of “symbiotic autonomy,” those robots need help from humans. Often. For example, any time a CoBot needs to move between floors in the building, someone must help call an elevator. Because, so far, CoBots lack arms. Sarah Conner can sleep soundly. From the CoBot researchers:

Our CoBot robots follow a novel symbiotic autonomy, in which the robots are aware of their perceptual, physical, and reasoning limitations and proactively ask for help from humans, for example for object manipulation actions.

Through the CoBots, Veloso’s team is researching how humans can interact with AI. CoBots understand their own limitations, expressing need and vulnerability—two words about human-like characteristics rarely overheard in Silicon Valley, outside of VC strategy meetings. How refreshing! CMU’s outcomes may put a ding in the universe.

Over in the expo hall of AI NY ’18—or rather, all about the expo hall—I encountered another handsomely affective embodiment: temi the personal robot. Winner of the Top Innovator Award at AI NY ’18. Judges from our program committee evaluated the AI start-ups participating in this award contest based on:

• overall market potential
• value proposition: disruptive potential in industry and society
• stage of development and time to market

I watched carefully as Danny Isserles, head of temi HQ in NYC, summoned temi the robot. Most immediately, the head tracking stood out: temi tilted its “face” upward to track Danny. Practically speaking, temi adjusted its tablet screen so that Danny’s face would be centered in the video camera perspective—but that seemed exactly like temi was glancing up to look at Danny. “Because temi cares,” was my immediate impression. Rosie would’ve been proud.

From that point, Danny began putting temi through its paces: making a video call, transcribing a conversation, playing music, suggesting restaurants in a particular area, etc.

At first, some people might only notice the parts: roughly speaking, part Alexa, part iPad, part high-end boombox, all rolling atop a Roomba and wired together with some software. However, that misses the bigger picture: temi refactors those aforementioned robotic human behaviors that we encounter in the “iPhone Slump,” moving those back to actual robots. When you get home from work, ditch your smartphone atop temi’s charging deck, then talk with people close to you, who aren’t currently nearby, via video chat while you do other things—fix dinner, play guitar, throw pottery, whatever. Hell, go play guitar with them. Because temi can follow you, keeping you in the video chat talking with loved ones while you’re living your life and not stuck slumping over some smartphone. This is particularly engaging for families separated by distance. Kiddos can talk with their parents or grandparents more naturally in video.

While the company behind temi has nine years developing robots for the DoD (e.g., med-evac bots) the origin story for temi happened closer to home. The company founder was visiting an elderly relative who wanted to serve him tea—walking slowly, hands shaking, focused on the serving tray and hot liquid so much that she nearly stumbled and fell. It turns out that older folks fall in their own homes most often while trying to carry things. Unfortunately, I had a parent in ER recently for that very reason. Now we have a personal robot, temi, that can carry things, follow people, and do much more.

My one chance encounter with Steve Jobs was when he’d been blocking the only path to the restroom at our mutually favorite Palo Alto coffeehouse. I asked politely, somewhat urgently. He glanced up from his smartphone distractedly and mumbled “Oh, sorry” then moved aside. Pretty sure that temi would’ve moved graciously without even needing to be asked. And served my chai latte at exactly 165 degrees.

Click here to view the original report on O’Reilly website

Amazon is setting foot in the Sex-Robotics market. Amazon Prime members will be able to order a sex-robot of choice and have it delivered to their home within hours. Thousands of Alexa based skills will be implemented into the robots to provide a personalized experience. Amazon’s Lab126 has ramped up personnel recruit for the project and has commenced a beta-testing program by supplying first prototypes to its employees. The project is secretly named “Alsexa”.

Following Amazon’s announcement hundreds of investors are seeking to enter the market which according to Goldman-Sachs will shortly boom.

Nope. Obviously, I don’t really believe Amazon will supply sex-robots, because I don’t believe that’s what people want or need. On the contrary. People need more of each-other. Personally, I don’t think we’ll be seeing an AI machine, sophisticated as can be, that will actually replace human warmth, touch and observation. No machine can replace nature, the need to love and reproduce, and even if it could – it’s not something us humans long for.

Elephants sense water presence through their feet – enabling them to locate sources of water and blaze the trail towards it. A trail that the rest follow. Amazon shares the same characteristics. A week ago, a “leak” from Amazon announced that they intend to develop and produce domestic robots, and instantly it has become common knowledge that this revolution is happening now and is no longer a figment of imagination. But why? For what purpose?

An AI robot won’t replace a human but will be able to serve humans in an unprecedented way.

The robot will be able to truly place humans in the center.

Technology is a great tool for humans. But AI is more than a tool – it is an array of smart services meant to put users in the center and serve them.

Let’s dream ahead just a bit – The year is 2026 and 99% of homes have a personal robot creating the ideal connection between the physical and digital world. Hands free…search free…receiving anything upon request and enjoying accurate predictions of the system giving you what you need before you even thought about it. The AI revolution is about putting users in the center. Information was previously owned by the wealthy and was freed to the use of all by the internet. Such is an affordable robot, drastically more affordable than a crew of human assistants and helpers, a robot that will let you enjoy privileges you couldn’t afford – It’ll handle your red tape, coordinating, meetings, payments, shopping etc. People will no longer carry their phones at home. The AI robotic revolution will shift technology from being our master to being solely focused on serving us better.

The revolution is led by the Internet giants as they provide users with most of their daily needs and truly puts them in the center – from connecting users through video to their families and friends in a fun and intuitive way, through user-oriented content recommendations, online shopping, info etc. The AI robotic revolution will transform any common user into a “King” and free him from the capitalistic drive to spend his life chasing money needed to pay for services saved only for the rich. Instead, the user will be able to concentrate on the most important things in life – family, friends, and any activity that gives him a sense of fulfillment.

A person’s basic need to be respected, honored, attended, and most of all – to be loved, can be greatly assisted and provided through a personal robot – whether by connecting the user or by serving him – as if the internet is progressing to its next generation, leaving the 2 dimensional and entering the physical dimension we live in.

Good luck to the elephants – Amazon and Google – clearing the path for us all, the path towards a better future where technology, serves humans, boosts human connection, and makes time for family, friends, parents, to spend with one another.

Here at temi, we plan to launch the first real personal assistant robot for the home within the next few months. We can’t wait to see the impact it will have on 2026.