Taiwan's Asus has unveiled what it says is the first "affordable" household robot.
Zenbo is a small robot that putters around your house on wheels, combining key features from a tablet, a smart home hub and a home speaker like the Amazon Echo into a single device that's far more huggable than any similar robot we've seen. The robot's face is actually a large display that shows all sorts of information when it isn't being occupied by Zenbo's eyes and mouth.
According to Asus chairman Jonney Shih, Zenbo can connect to a wide range of smart home devices and follow you around so that voice-powered controls are always within reach. A lack of mobility is the biggest problem with devices like Amazon's Echo, and Asus has seemingly solved it. The screen also adds a whole new dimension to the experience — for example, when someone is at your front door you can see a video feed from a connected camera right on Zenbo's face.
Voice-activated Zenbo will cost USD 599 and Asus says it will be able to control smart home devices.
The company said it would be less expensive than competing household robots because it did not have humanoid features such as arms.