UBTECH launches portable social robot with ‘loving AI’
UBTECH has launched a portable social robot with what the company describes as “loving” artificial intelligence.
AlphaMini, a portable humanoid robot, which is is said to be able to chat, read, sing and dance, made its debut today in South Korea.
Built by UBTECH robotics, a manufacturer of intelligent humanoid robotics and AI technologies, the cute-looking creature combines advanced robotics and highly extensible AI platform to give you the most intimate human-robot interactive experiences.
The AlphaMini robot is not alive, but it unburdens you, makes you laugh and makes you happy when you feel beaten up or lonely.
The robot has been designed to be more human-like than most products on market for its rich facial expressions, high-speed visual recognition, flexible movements and a number of charming details, such as sneezing and farting.
Kim Dong Jin, CEO of J. Mediator, UBTECH’s local partner, says: “With the recent rising interests in digital transformation, interest in robots is expanding as well. The way of communication has changed.
“We can communicate through not only verbal elements but also non-verbal elements such as gestures, postures, facial expressions, eye contact, voice and intonation.”
According to a report by the International Federation of Robotics, South Korea is the most automated country in the world with 631 robots installed per 10,000 employees.
Tech-savvy, community-minded and intensely pragmatic, South Korea is more eager to treat AI as a solution more than a problem.
That’s why UBTECH, the Chinese humanoid maker, has chosen South Korea to be the first overseas market to release AlphaMini.
From South Korea to China, demand for social robots is expected to soar as the number of single-person households increases and populations age. They have learned to love robots more readily than the west.
Features of the AlphaMini robot include:
Localized voice interaction: UBTECH has worked with Naver, the largest search engine provider in South Korea to develop the Korean-speaking AlphaMini carrying Naver’s advanced Clover AI voice platform.
Rich emotional expressions: With its two high-resolution LED eyes, it can show more than 100 expressions, including being happy, angry, sad, upset and even being sleepy.
An animated companion: Equipped with 14 flexible and light servos as body joints, the AlphaMini can achieve multiple degrees of freedom and movement. It can dance, play Kungfu, Taiji and do push-ups.
Helper on AI education: AlphaMini serves as the perfect carrier for children to build an AI mindset by learning scratch programming, facial recognition, object recognition and motion control techniques.