The Rebirth of Vector

During the first implementation of the elective module „Social Robots“ at the School of Business FHNW, orders were placed for Vector 2.0, the successor to Vector. After a year and a half, the company Digital Dream Labs has delivered the small social robot. The company had bought the rights from Anki, which had failed with its first versions of Cozmo and Vector, although they were very well made and sold a lot. Unlike its brother Cozmo, Vector listens to voice commands. The company writes on its website: „Say hey to Vector, the first home robot that will steal your heart, not your data. Smart right out of the box, Vector is more than a robot companion. Curious, independent and powered by AI and state-of-the-art robotics, he can read the room, share the weather forecast, set a timer (no overcooked dinner on his watch), take a snapshot and so much more. Vector is your sidekick who’s up for anything but mostly just wants to make you laugh.“ (Website DDL) About the robot’s technologies, the company writes: „Qualcomm 200 Platform, HD camera with 120 Ultra Wide FOV, Beamforming Four-Microphone Array, Infrared Laser Scanner, 6-Axis IMU, High-Res Color IPS Display, and WiFi connection.“ (Website DDL) The camera is connected with object recognition and face recognition, as in the case of Cozmo. Vector „can recognize people and objects while detecting and avoiding obstacles“ (Website DDL). The first impression is good. The companion robot is fast, agile, and funny. Edge detection works even on difficult surfaces like glass tables. The sounds are different from Cozmo, but also very appealing and cute. You have to formulate the voice commands very accurately. It helps if you are a native speaker of either American or British English. More Information via www.digitaldreamlabs.com/products/vector-robot.

Fig.: Vector in action