Ninebot follows you around ready to help out (via Segway)
Segway's haven't been the most popular form of transportation over the years. What was once supposed to be the new vehicle for the future, is now a laughable trend of the past. But Segway is looking ahead and hopes to turn heads with its latest venture: a Segway robot. The robot, which is currently dubbed Ninebot Segway, looks like a simple robotic head attached to a “hover board.” Not only is the bot meant to be a mini, adorable companion, it's also a self-balancing board.
Ninebot has a pretty simplistic face with two round glowing eyes and not much else, but it's what's inside that makes it so powerful. In order to recognize its surroundings, people, and objects there's an Intel RealSense camera embedded above the robot's face. It's also powered by an Intel Atom Processor, which is supposed to make Ninebot both efficient and powerful. Ninebot may be tiny, but it packs a punch.
Similar to other robot companions, the Ninebot Segway is meant to be an everyday helper. It has a microphone that allows you to give the bot commands and tasks, both in Chinese and English. It also has the ability to walk around indoors and outdoors using localization and tracking. Or if you're feeling a little lonely the bot can follow you around ready to help out at any second. Thanks to its Intel Atom the Ninebot can send videos, take pictures, and carry items for you. It also works with a wide range of apps giving the bot more functionality.
To give the robot stability to be able to ride around, its built on the a Ninebot mini frame, which is an advanced model of Segway. Because of this, its sturdy enough to zip around on at decent speeds. Ninebot can travel up to 30km up to 18kph. But if you have any experience with those “hover boards” you know that you'll need a bit of balance to ride around on this bot. There are no handle bars to keep yourself stable.
Segway wants the robot to be even more useful with its recent announcement at IDF. The company announced it will open developing kits for Ninebot. The kit will allow developers to have access to vision, speech, movement, and interaction with a robot SDK. A mobility SDK will let them control the robot remotely. Developers with the know how have the capability to make Ninebot do even more tasks that Segway hasn't even thought of yet. Hopefully, they'll come up with more functions to make Ninebot truly stand out.
Right now, Ninebot sounds like a standard robot companion. But its small size, cute factor, and ability to ride around on it gives it the edge it needs in the market. And since Segway has opened up the development kit, the possibilities to what Ninebot can do are endless. Developer versions of Ninebot will ship later this year. Consumer versions are expected to come out next year. Who knows, Ninebot could be a big development for Segway.
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