TAIPEI -- Computex, the largest tech expo in Asia, is a stage for some of the biggest product launches and unveilings by Asian electronics companies.
This year’s Computex did not disappoint, with Taiwanese giant Asus announcing a major foray into robotics with the unveiling of a personal robot, dubbed the Zenbo.
Zenbo’s launch was a big deal. Every tech journalist at Computex was expecting new phones, tablets, wearables and VR kits. But the a robot like Zenbo? No one saw that coming.
Zenbo kinda looks like something from a Pixar design factory. If Wall-E and Eve decided to have kids, Zenbo would probably look like one of the offspring. It’s small, it’s cute, it rolls on wheels, and has got that non-threatening interface that old folks and little kids would love.
Asus dubs the Zenbo as a smart assistant. You communicate with the Zenbo using voice commands instead of a remote. According to the short demo, Zenbo can help out in the kitchen with a recipe, help your kids with their homework, and even dial an emergency number if an accident happens inside your home.
It can also read a bedtime story to your kids, play music, take photos and video, and even control your smart home and smart appliances.
You could think of it as a personal butler like, or an electronic yaya. While it’s not exactly on the same level yet of the positronic Andrew in Robin William’s film “Bicentennial Man,” the Zenbo presents a huge leap in the direction of smart robotic assistants. Why? Because you don’t have to sell your kidney to buy one.
Asus chairman Jonney Shih said that their goal was to enable robotic computing for every household. With a target price of US$599, or roughly around P28,000, Asus may have just found the sweet spot for personal robots. If Asus manages to meet this target price, this will put Zenbo’s cost lower than a Samsung Galaxy S7 or an iPhone 6S Plus. It’s not hard to imagine Zenbos appearing in the homes of many gadget aficionados based on that price point.
I am actually a bit skeptical about that target price, as similar robots cost much much more. Softbank’s Pepper robot sells for around US$1,900. But if there’s one company that can develop and sell affordable robots, it’s probably Asus.
Asus created an entirely new category of computers when it introduced the EeePC way back in 2007. This little laptop ushered in the world of cheap portable computers called netbooks. The Taiwanese company did this again in 2011 when it launched the Eeepad Transformer, which created a category of affordable laptop-tablet hybrids.
Hopefully, Asus can leverage its manufacturing and engineering expertise and make the Zenbo a truly affordable home robot.
Gadget geeks who want to get their hands on the Zenbo, however, will have to wait a little longer. Asus has not yet announced a launch date for the Zenbo.
From the demo I saw at Computex, it was also pretty obvious that Zenbo wasn’t ready for primetime. But if you’re a developer, you’re in luck because Asus welcomes developers who want to create new apps and capabilities for their home robot.
Will Zenbo usher in a new era of home robots? Many gadget aficionados certainly hope so.
source: www.abs-cbnnews.com
