Say Hello To Zenbo

ASUS Chairman Jonney Shih gives Engadget a private demo of his first affordable home robot, Zenbo. Zenbo is a home robot that can do a lot more than just introducing himself. He can follow voice commands to control home appliances, cast media to the TV, take photos, play music while dancing to it, and even tell a story while acting.

For elderly users, they can share Zenbo’s screen with a contact for remote assistance. For example, if Zenbo detects the person falling, he will automatically call a designated contact to start a video call plus remote control. This allows the person to check on the user and allows people more independence.

Zenbo is essentially an android tablet on wheels. It also has sensors which allow it to avoid bumping into objects and for drop avoidance. It has cameras that allow it to recognize certain objects and has a port for future add-ons. It can be controlled by children as young as 5 years old by using simple voice commands and can even provide entertainment for kids.

Shih is still looking for developers and partners, in order to help to evolve this robot and take it to the next level. He is hoping to have it out on the market very soon. It is certainly a product that could replace other smart home products, such as Amazon’s Echo or Google Home. Zenbo retails for around $600, is helpful, and cute to boot!