What Could Possibly Go Wrong, Sarah Connor? Creepy Personal Robots in Fencing Outfits.
Meet the humanoid robot headed for homes
Meet the humanoid robot headed for homes
SkyNet Anyone? This is creepy and dangerous on so many levels. Did nobody listen to Isaac Asimov? Let alone Will Smith or James Cameron? - DD
With one sweeping gesture, Dar Sleeper hoists the humanoid robot off the ground. Bracing its back with one arm and its legs with the other, he gently carries it across the room and lowers it onto a sofa, where it lies in repose as if catching a quick nap.
It’s a slightly surreal scene, but it has a serious point. I am visiting the Palo Alto headquarters of 1X Technologies, and Sleeper, the company’s VP of growth, is demonstrating that Neo, its home robot, is a lightweight at a mere 66 pounds. That’s a crucial design feature, given that a weighty domestic bot could prove hazardous if it toppled over in the vicinity of a human, a pet, or just a pricey vase.
Soon, Neo will take on the ultimate proving ground for a home robot: actual homes. 1X is announcing that it’s taking preorders and plans to ship units to its earliest customers next year. The price is $20,000, or $499 per month as a subscription service, with a six-month minimum. Like a smartphone, the robot will come in multiple color options—tan, gray, and dark brown.
Wait, $20,000? There isn’t much precedent for mainstream consumer products in that price range. Cars, of course. (The average price for a new one just topped $50,000.) Maybe boats? Even if you can come up with another example or two, it’s a short list…
What AI depends on is the intelligence of its programmer, who will likely be either a foreigner or a male, or both. If I'm going to have someone clean my house, it's going to be an 18-year-old blond Dallas Cheerleader. That's all I'm going to say about this.