{"id":32061,"date":"2019-03-08T03:29:33","date_gmt":"2019-03-08T11:29:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/?p=32061"},"modified":"2019-03-06T13:05:37","modified_gmt":"2019-03-06T21:05:37","slug":"personal-robots-help-at-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/2019\/03\/08\/personal-robots-help-at-home\/","title":{"rendered":"Personal robots help at home"},"content":{"rendered":"

Can\u2019t be home for bedtime? Temi lets you read a story to your child remotely. (photo from Temi)<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

In the fourth season of the sitcom The Big Bang Theory, theoretical physicist and all-around nerd Sheldon decides that he no longer wants to physically interact with his friends and colleagues. He cobbles together a telepresence robot with his face on its screen, which navigates around his home and office and turns toward whomever Sheldon is speaking. This fictionalized glimpse of a future filled with personal robots is simultaneously hilarious and creepy.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe took the creepy factor into account when we designed our robot,\u201d said Danny Isserles, chief executive officer of the U.S. division of Temi, an Israeli robotics firm that is building an almost functionally identical (but a whole lot spiffier) version of Sheldon\u2019s telepresence unit.<\/p>\n

Temi has a sleek, semi-rounded body \u2013 it looks a bit like a high-tech vacuum cleaner with a subtle human presence \u2013 and stands three-feet tall on its four wheels. Inside Temi are two main computers. The first comprises Temi\u2019s \u201cface,\u201d made from a customized version of an Android tablet.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s nothing special,\u201d Isserles conceded in an anything but robotic conversation with Israel21c. As with most Android-based mobile devices today, the Temi tablet can display video, play music or call up the internet by voice command.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve done a demo of Temi controlling a smart home. It can turn the lights on and off,\u201d Isserles said. Any Android developer could add other apps; for example, to make Temi control a smart home thermostat.<\/p>\n

Temi\u2019s \u201cbody\u201d has a full Linux-based computer inside plus an array of sensors \u2013 LiDAR, 2D and 3D cameras, encoders measuring the wheel\u2019s movements \u2013 that help Temi navigate smoothly.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn order to get from one side of the room to the other, we humans instinctively choose the easiest path to follow with no effort, passing over small obstacles and around bigger ones,\u201d explained cofounder and Temi Israel CEO Yossi Wolf. But this is a complex task for robots and the shortest way is not necessarily the fastest.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor example, when you move from the kitchen to the living room, you can pass through sofas and slalom through all the kitchen chairs or you can bypass them the long way, which will be the fast and natural way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Temi\u2019s sensors ensure it won\u2019t fall down the stairs or run over your small dog. \u201cWe had a live case study in our office \u2013 my dog,\u201d said Isserles. \u201cI said, the first time this robot touches my dog, the robot is going out the window.\u201d<\/p>\n

Temi\u2019s designers \u201cbuilt an algorithm to connect all the sensors together and enable Temi to construct a path through a space,\u201d said Isserles. \u201cBecause of the navigation, we have a platform with abilities no one else has yet achieved.\u201d<\/p>\n

That may not last for long. Amazon reportedly is developing a robot known as Vesta, which follows users around like a mobile Alexa. Other home robots in the works include LG\u2019s Hub bot, Mayfield Robotics\u2019 Kuri, and Jibo out of technology powerhouse MIT.<\/p>\n

Isserles said competition is good \u201cbecause this will build the market, take the robot out of the niche and bring it into the mainstream.\u201d<\/p>\n

Temi formally launched sales at CES 2019 in January and expects first deliveries to be made this month. The robot can be ordered now on Temi\u2019s website and through select retail outlets in the United States.<\/p>\n

A half-dozen immediate applications for Temi come to mind.<\/p>\n

In the office, a staffer on the controlling side of the robot can make like Sheldon and attend a business meeting without actually being there. A manager can stroll around chatting with colleagues and, unlike video conferencing, there\u2019s no need to interrupt anyone\u2019s workday to assemble in a meeting room.<\/p>\n

Temi can serve as the host at a restaurant (\u201cHello, I\u2019m Temi. Welcome to Applebees\u201d), a hotel concierge, a sales clerk, an airport check-in agent, a museum docent, a remote yoga teacher, a playmate for the kids (imagine hide-and-seek with a robot), an aid for home-bound seniors and a remote-care physician. But the main idea is to provide a telepresence in the home.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not the same as being there, of course, but think of a deployed soldier in Afghanistan who can hop into a robot and hang out with his family for a couple of hours.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re stuck at work, you can hop into your Temi, press \u2018Bobby\u2019s room,\u2019 and Temi will go there so you can read Bobby a bedtime story,\u201d Isserles said. \u201cIt\u2019s not the same as being there, of course, but think of a deployed soldier in Afghanistan who can hop into a robot and hang out with his family for a couple of hours.\u201d<\/p>\n

But why do you need a robot for that? Couldn\u2019t you just Skype from the computer or an iPad?<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a much better experience,\u201d contended Isserles. \u201cIt\u2019s more like hanging out. If I\u2019m on a Skype call with my nephews, they say hi, then run away and my sister has to chase them to come back. The robot can hang out, explore, wander around, talk to different people.\u201d<\/p>\n

You can also ask Temi to initiate the video by tapping Temi on its head or saying, \u201cHey, Temi, call Mom.\u201d Temi will lock on your position, plan an efficient path to get to you wherever you are in the house, initiate the call and then follow you around while you talk.<\/p>\n

Isserles said Temi\u2019s aim is to appeal to busy families where the parents work long hours, travel a lot and love technology.<\/p>\n

It still sounds a bit creepy \u2013 would you want your robot father sitting at the dinner table with you, turning its Android head from side to side to keep the conversation flowing?<\/p>\n

\u201cMy experience is that everyone who came in thinking it\u2019s creepy, after a minute or two of demonstrating how it works, they ask, \u2018How much is it?\u2019\u201d said Isserles.<\/p>\n

The price is cheap by robot standards \u2013 just $1,500 US. That\u2019s partly because Temi was not built, like most other robots, for defence purposes, where a single robot could run up to $200,000.<\/p>\n

That said, Temi got its start from the defence industry. CEO Wolf previously cofounded Roboteam to build tactical robotic systems for reconnaissance, intelligence gathering, search-and-rescue and delivering payloads to soldiers in the field. Temi was originally part of Roboteam, but the companies decided to split, with Wolf going full-time to Temi and cofounder Elad Levy remaining at the helm of Roboteam.<\/p>\n

Temi employs 65 people, most in the Tel Aviv research-and-development centre plus 10 people in New York and 20 in China, where the robots are manufactured. The company has raised $82 million, including $21 million in December 2018 from former Alibaba chief technology officer John Wu, Italy\u2019s Generali Investments and Hong Kong-based internet-of-things company Ogawa. Temi and Ogawa have established a strategic partnership with an emphasis on selling in China.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cWe could build a mechanical arm with an accurate and gentle grip, no problem, but then it would be a $20,000 product, not a $1,500 one.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

While Temi is being initially positioned as a roaming telepresence device, the robot can work without someone on the other side. Ask it to play a song and Temi will call it up using its built-in wi-fi connection, then blast out the tunes via 20-watt Harman Kardon speakers. Temi\u2019s 10-inch touchscreen is great for playing YouTube videos, too.<\/p>\n

Temi gets eight hours of continuous use per charge and has a docking station for repowering.<\/p>\n

Temi has one more unique selling point: a tray. Tell Temi to fetch some tea from the kitchen and the robot will return with the chai, although a human has to load and unload the teacups.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe could build a mechanical arm with an accurate and gentle grip, no problem,\u201d said Isserles, \u201cbut then it would be a $20,000 product, not a $1,500 one.\u201d<\/p>\n

The tea tray turns out to have been the genesis for what would evolve into Temi. Wolf was visiting his grandmother and she offered him some tea.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut her hands were shaking and he was worried,\u201d Isserles recalled. Wolf asked her if she\u2019d like a walking cane. \u201cShe said, \u2018No, I\u2019m not old.\u2019 So he asked her, \u2018Would you like a robot?\u2019 That, she would go for. She wanted something cool.\u201d<\/p>\n

Every Jewish start-up \u201cstarts from the grandmother,\u201d Isserles quipped. Even those building personal robots.<\/p>\n

For more information, visit robotemi.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Israel21c<\/strong> is a nonprofit educational foundation with a mission to focus media and public attention on the 21st-century Israel that exists beyond the conflict. For more, or to donate, visit israel21c.org<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Can\u2019t be home for bedtime? Temi lets you read a story to your child remotely. (photo from Temi) In the fourth season of the sitcom The Big Bang Theory, theoretical physicist and all-around nerd Sheldon decides that he no longer wants to physically interact with his friends and colleagues. He cobbles together a telepresence robot […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":32062,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[8779,4330,4687,1881,8780],"class_list":["post-32061","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world","tag-home","tag-israel","tag-robots","tag-technology","tag-temi"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32061","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32061"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32061\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32062"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32061"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32061"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32061"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}