SociBot-Mini Can Have Your Friend's Face And Become Your Robotic Butler

Developed by Engineered Arts Limited, SociBot-Mini is a one-of-its-kind robot that has a fully integrated LED pico projection technology with custom developed optics. In simple words, the robot features a dynamic face that reflects different moods and responds to expressions of people who are looking at him. SociBot integrates SHORE, an image processing software developed by Fraunhofer IIS, which enables it to find and track faces, accurately tell the person's gender and estimate his/her age. The various things that the SociBot can do make it very real-life like. It can make eye-contact without prompting and attend to different speakers based on their body language.

Coming to the technical specifications - the SociBot has a HD RGB camera, a fully articulated neck, a IR depth sensor, high quality audio and a public-facing touchscreen interface. SociBot's face has been made transparent so that users can customize it to reflect a friend's face on it. The robot is right now low on understanding speech, but it is definitely trying hard to learn that. A particular scenario where the SociBot-Mini excels is video-conferencing. Using this humanoid, users can bring about a 3D experience to the interaction. Moreover, the fully integrated sensory array makes you feel like you're in the room, no matter the distance.

SociBot can retrieve product data and provide information for customers. Unique QR codes can provide specific information for individuals. Being a web connected device, it becomes easy for users to create and upload content to the SocioBot remotely. Performance and technical issues can be diagnosed and often resolved without costly site visits.

As far as the applications of SociBot are concerned, the developers believe that it is ideal for public places such as shopping centres or theme parks as well as airports or science centers, basically anywhere you want to deliver personalized content with a human touch. The presence of extra ports and multiple ethernet connections make it easy to interface SociBot with your choice of hardware. It is great for for individual researchers, small-footprint telepresence, or just for playing around with at home if it's your time at introduction to robotics. Take a look at this video -
What are your thoughts on SociBot-Mini and its varied applications? Share with us in comments below.

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