A Japanese artificial intelligence start-up has launched a home robot that can deliver goods according to verbal commands, such as carrying food and condiments to the dining room table, or books and drinks to the sofa. .
Developed by Tokyo-based Preferred Robotics Co., Ltd., a rectangular robot called “Kachaka” is mounted at the bottom of a specially designed table with casters.
An image of using the robot “Kachaka” developed by Preferred Robotics in the living room. (Photo courtesy of Preferred Robotics) (Kyodo News)
The device, which is about the size of a robot vacuum cleaner, can place an object on a table, give it a command, and deliver it to a specific location in your home pre-registered in the app.
“Kachaka”, a robot developed by Preferred Robotics (Photo courtesy of Preferred Robotics) (Kyodo News)
You can also have books and magazines delivered to their owners, who can set a specific time each day to deliver the goods.
Equipped with sensors and cameras, it won’t crash into walls, furniture or other obstacles, but it can’t climb over steps. AI technology analyzes camera images to locate people and furniture in the room and determines the best route for the robot to follow.
While automated robots are widely used in factories where it is easy to control the environment around them, the company said its detection capabilities also make the robots safe to use in homes with changing environments.
The robot weighs 10 kg and can carry up to 20 kg including the attached table. It moves at a speed of 80 centimeters per second.
Preferred Robotics hopes that the use of robots will reduce the time it takes to do housework when people spend more time at home, such as working remotely.
The robot comes with a 2- or 3-tier shelf table and starts at ¥251,800 ($1,800). You also need to pay a monthly fee of 980 yen to use the robot app.
Preferred Robotics is a subsidiary of Preferred Networks Inc., one of Japan’s few so-called “unicorn” companies, i.e., privately held start-ups with a valuation of over $1 billion.
Founded in 2014, the company aims to provide robots that assist humans through AI technology and supercomputers.
