One day, we'll all have armless, boxy, nagging robots in the home to remind us to take our meds and that it's time to watch Jeopardy! This is the dream behind GeckoSystems Intl. Corp.'s CareBot personal robot.
Under development for over a decade, the CareBot prototype is a mobile automaton that can easily, if very slowly, navigate among people and objects. It'll follow grandma around the house, let other families watch her from afar (via internet-based video teleconferencing) and contact someone on the outside if grandma falls down and can't get up. According to GeckoSystem company execs, it can also operate for up to 14 hours on a single charge.
In a video demonstrating the robot's utility, it's living in the home of an elderly woman, asking her if she fed the dog and if she wants to watch TV. Its robotic voice gives her the TV listing for her favorite show. When she tells it that, yes, she does want to watch Jeopardy!, it dutifully returns later to tell her it's time to watch it. At this point the woman grows cranky and shoos the robot away saying, "I have guests." A bit of a comedian, CareBot then responds with, "You don't love me anymore." This has all the makings of a hit sitcom.
Apparently some of these responses are canned, while other may be text-to-speech. The release lists more than half a dozen capabilities all named "Gecko[something]. Among them is "GeckoChat," which lets caregivers "teach the CareBot what to say, and when."
GeckoSystems Intl. Corp. President Martin Spencer could not share pricing or availability details, but did, in relation to price, say somewhat cryptically, "Honda believes the market to be larger than the cell phone once the price of a utilitarian, multi-taking personal robots is that of a small car. We don't disagree with Honda in this regard."
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