Gatebox has been redesigned by Keystone Innovative Group with software changes – replace the blue-haired anime character with a westernized avatar. (Image Credit: Gatebox)
If Tamagotchi, Digipets, robot butlers of the 80s are any indication, we love to make pets/friends out of digital devices. Unlike the ones I mentioned, there are plenty of new ones that are starting to get closer to being something to really interact with. AI + HMI is the future.
Keystone Innovation Group, a western company, has collaborated with a New Zeeland company to redesign the Japanese Gatebox AI assistant. Their redesign involves replacing the anime-style character with a more realistic avatar. The GTBX-100, the device that produces the hologram that users can interact with, was launched in October 2019. Keystone has contracts in place to install these AI assistants in cruise ships by the end of 2020.
Even though Gatebox launched with a few characters, users can download more content on the GateBox App Market, an app store for the device. Programs like HoloModels, a digital figurine service developed by Gugenka, a Japanese based company focused on virtual reality development, are available on the App Market. Japanese companies like Pyramid and Amazing are also partnered with Gatebox, which has developed games for the Gatebox platform.
Gatebox can connect to Wi-Fi enabled smart devices through infrared sensors, allowing devices to be activated based on the user’s movement. Users can also communicate with their holographic avatar through text chat or by pressing a button on the device. The holographic image is displayed by two projectors, each containing a flat, 2D image of the avatar. It also has the ability to play videos by connecting to another device.
Keystone Innovation Group developed its own version of the Gatebox for people who are less interested in anime. Any users purchasing Keystone’s model will have the option of choosing an avatar featuring a professionally dressed woman or a bald man in athletic clothing and will not be able to choose the blue-hair anime avatar, Hikari. The device will also be undergoing some technological changes. Instead of using projection tubes to create the holographic image of the avatar, Keystone will be using tablets mounted in a semi-circular glass chassis, resulting in a smaller, compact device.
Keystone’s AI assistant doesn’t come with a digital app store like the Japanese device does. This will result in a less customizable avatar and may seem less enticing for potential buyers.
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