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      RoboticsTopicTypeHumanoid RobotsVideo

      Kuri Robot Brings Autonomous Video to a Home Near You

      Mayfield Robotics improves its home robot, Kuri, adding track wheels, structural updates, and “Kuri Vision,” an autonomous home video program

      Alyssa Pagano
      01 Aug 2017
      Robot with round white head and a coned shaped body sits on the floor in front of wooden kitchen cabinets
      consumer robotshumanoid robotstype:videorobotcamerasKurihome robotMayfield Robotics

      Most home robots are designed primarily for convenience and function. Not Kuri. Silicon Valley startup Mayfield Roboticsdesigned Kuri specifically to be an adorable home companion. And that means it needed to have one quality you won’t find in most robotic vacuums and other home bots: cuteness. 

      Mayfield introduced Kuri earlier this year at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Since then, the Mayfield team has made several updates to the robot. The most significant one is the home video feature called “Kuri Vision,” which allows Kuri to take video autonomously.

      To do that, Kuri has two high definition 1080p cameras, one behind each eye. These cameras take videos intermittently throughout the day, capturing candid moments. You can then review those clips through the app, which runs on iOS and Android, and choose which ones you like best. Then Kuri’s machine learning and image processing kicks in: Based on which images you favorite or delete, Kuri learns to take videos that you’ll like.

      For those who find this robot stalking feature a bit creepy, the company says you can always review the photos and videos and delete what you don’t want. And you can also program the robot to avoid filming in specific rooms. This is useful if, say, you don’t want Kuri filming in the bathroom.

      Kuri knows the layout of your house because when you first bring the robot home, it uses a laser sensor array to create a map. It then uses that map for reference, so it keeps track of its location. This map makes it easy to tell Kuri where to go. You can say “Kuri, go to the kitchen,” and it will know exactly how to get there.

      But don’t expect Kuri to respond in English—or in any other human language. Mayfiled says Kuri “speaks “robot,” which makes it extra cute. Kuri chirps, beeps, and bloops. This helps with a big challenge in human-robot interaction. When robots try to communicate in human language, they often make mistakes that frustrate the user. Even when it’s not annoying, sometimes it’s just uncanny and creepy. Mayfield reduced the chance of that confusion by giving Kuri a language of its own. However, if you need to use Kuri to deliver a message to someone across the house, you can use the app to talk through Kuri’s speakers: “Hey! That’s my ice cream!”

      Other new features include new track wheels that collapse up into the robot’s body to absorb shock and help it go over obstacles like door threshold, and an ergonomic handle to make it easier to transport.

      The first production wave is sold out and will ship to customers in December. The next shipment, which is available for pre-order now for US $799, will go out in the spring 2018.

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      360 Video: Zoom Over Zanzibar With Tanzania’s Drone Startups

      Come along for the ride as drones soar over the farms and schools of Tanzania

      Evan Ackerman

      Evan Ackerman is a senior editor at IEEE Spectrum. Since 2007, he has written over 6,000 articles on robotics and technology. He has a degree in Martian geology and is excellent at playing bagpipes.

      Michael Koziol

      Michael Koziol is an associate editor at IEEE Spectrum where he covers everything telecommunications. He graduated from Seattle University with bachelor's degrees in English and physics, and earned his master's degree in science journalism from New York University.

      Eliza Strickland

      Eliza Strickland is a senior editor at IEEE Spectrum, where she covers AI, biomedical engineering, and other topics. She holds a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University.

      09 May 2019
      6:56
      360 Video: Zoom Over Zanzibar With Tanzania’s Drone Startups
      Photo: IEEE Spectrum
      dronesgadgetstype:videoEast Africa dronesmappingTanzaniaAfricadelivery drones360 video

      With 360-degree video, IEEE Spectrum puts you aboard drones that are flying high above the Tanzanian landscape: You’ll ride along as drones soar above farms, towns, and the blue expanse of Lake Victoria. You’ll also meet the local entrepreneurs who are creating a new industry, finding applications for their drones in land surveying and delivery. And you’ll get a close-up view from a bamboo grove as a drone pilot named Bornlove builds a flying machine from bamboo and other materials.

      You can follow the action in a 360-degree video in three ways: 1) Watch on your computer, using your mouse to click and drag on the video; 2) watch on your phone, moving the phone around to change your view; or 3) watch on a VR headset for the full immersive experience.

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      360 Video: Go on a Mission With Zipline’s Delivery Drones

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      Evan Ackerman

      Evan Ackerman is a senior editor at IEEE Spectrum. Since 2007, he has written over 6,000 articles on robotics and technology. He has a degree in Martian geology and is excellent at playing bagpipes.

      Michael Koziol

      Michael Koziol is an associate editor at IEEE Spectrum where he covers everything telecommunications. He graduated from Seattle University with bachelor's degrees in English and physics, and earned his master's degree in science journalism from New York University.

      Eliza Strickland

      Eliza Strickland is a senior editor at IEEE Spectrum, where she covers AI, biomedical engineering, and other topics. She holds a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University.

      06 May 2019
      360 Video: Go on a Mission With Zipline’s Delivery Drones
      IEEE Spectrum
      dronestype:videoEast Africa dronesRwandadelivery dronesZipline360 video

      With 360 video, IEEE Spectrum takes you behind the scenes with one of the world’s first drone-delivery companies. Zipline, based in California, is using drones to deliver blood to hospitals throughout Rwanda. At an operations center in Muhanga, you’ll watch as Zipline technicians assemble the modular drones, fill their cargo holds, and launch them via catapult. You’ll see a package float down from the sky above a rural hospital, and you’ll get a closeup look at Zipline’s ingenious method for capturing returning drones.

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      Stephen Cass is the special projects editor at IEEE Spectrum. He currently helms Spectrum's Hands On column, and is also responsible for interactive projects such as the Top Programming Languages app. He has a bachelor's degree in experimental physics from Trinity College Dublin.

      17 Oct 2018
      A Techie’s Tour of New York City
      A Techie's Tour Of NYC
      www.youtube.com
      type:videoNew York CityDIYtourismvideosrocketsNikola Teslahistorytechnologyeventshackerspacenew york citynikola teslanyc tourist videonyc tourist guidetech tour nycvideonyc tech tour

      Do your travel plans include New York City? Are you a techie? If the answer to those questions is yes, let IEEE Spectrum be your guide! We've put together a list of some of our favorite places to visit, including important locations in the history of electrotechnology (New York was once the center of the electrical and electronic world) and places where fun and interesting things are happening today. See where Nikola Tesla lived, check out cutting-edge artists working with technology, or take the kids to see an Atlas and Titan rocket.

      All the locations are accessible via the subway, and many are free to visit. If you do visit, take a selfie and post a link in the comments below.

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      © Copyright 2023 IEEE — All rights reserved. A not-for-profit organization, IEEE is the world's largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity.