Zenbo, open the door! Zenbo, how do I make paella? Zenbo, read junior a story!
“Zenbo” isn’t a magical command to control your spouse, it’s Asus’ newly announced robot butler, featuring facial recognition, cloud-based AI and a cheerful animated face – all for US$599.
Unveiled at Computex in Taipei, the 2fttall robot rolled on to the stage with Asus chair Jonney Shih, snapping his photo on verbal command. Technical details on how the robot operates weren’t revealed, but similar ideas have been attempted in the past (sit, Sony Aibo, sit!). Indeed, the real technological leap is the price, which is about the same as an iPhone.
Of course, the price is moot if Zenbo can’t deliver on its many promises. Aside from an ability to “emote” via its cartoon eyes,…
