I’ve been waiting to finish this article from several months now, and only due the CES 2014 it has become reality. The curiosity to find out what the designers and engineers are preparing for 2014 in robotics has disappeared once with CES 2014 where were revealed some of the robots realized in order to be launch on the market this year.
In terms of numbers, about 150,000 people attended to the Consumer Electronics Show, and at least up to 17 robots were revealed.
I want to note that the connection between smart devices likes smartphones/tablets and the robots has dominated the show this year. Almost any robot from 2014 can be connected with Android or iOS devices, and many things can be done with this combination between the robot and the devices.
Based on the first impression for each robot, hereinafter you can find all the robots revealed in 2014 once with the sense of optimism that many others will be revealed in the following months.
01. Sphero 2B
The Sphero ball robot was reinvented in 2014 with two attached wheels. Still compatible with Android and iOS devices, the 2B version is a real life playing partner that can travel up to 14 feet at every second. It is a multiplayer robotic platform controlled remote through Bluetooth.
02. Rydis H68 Pro Vac
The H68 Pro Vac is a multitasking robot floor cleaner, and now it comes with many more cleaning capabilities under the same hood. It combines automatic capabilities with a wide range of cleaning including here a dry mop, a wet mop, and vacuum functions.
03. Grillbot
I could catalog the Grillbot in the category of ‘another idea’ how the robots can be used to help humans. With steel-brushed the robot cleans your grill bars automatically moving around until the grill is completely clean.
04. Windoro Bot
I can add the Windoro Bot in the same list of cleaning robots along with Roomba, Mint, or CleanMate. All of these robots are designed for household chores, but the Windows Bot is a little bit special. This works autonomously as a window cleaner with a top speed of 15 cm/s.
05. Famibot
The Famibot is not a vacuum cleaner, even if it seems like one. The robot is engineered for other tasks like home security, purifying the air, detect the smoke, or entertainment features like playing music or take photos. The robot works between charges up to five hours and can travel around with a maximum speed of 20 cm/s.
06. MantraroBot TeleMe
The TeleMe telepresence robot is one of the cheap and simplerobots that can be driven in offices and rooms, and controlled usingan Android or iOS device. The Skype is the main tool for audio/video communications. Additionally, the TeleMe can be used for open doors or grasp thing by adding a robotic arm.
07. FURo-S
This is perhaps the first smart robot for advertising and shopping. The FURo-S take part from service robots that react to human gestures, voice commands, and recognize people using facial recognition technique.
08. Tyche
About Tyche I can say that is a programmable smartphone based robot for autonomous operations, and include features like hearing, talk, or human recognition. It is a customizable toy and a good platform for teaching the kids’ programming using open-source software.
09. Vex IQ
Based on Lego design, the Vex IQ kit incorporates a series of robotic parts such as sensors, motors, a remote control unit, and a programmable memory. The kit is addressed to introduce kids in programming and how to build really simple robots.
10. Synergy Swan
Another social robot fully compatible with any Android smartphone or tablet used to play a video clip or for remote communication. The tablet or smartphone attached to the upper arm of the robot can display emotions like a smile or it could be used with a telepresence application for remote communication.
11. Budgee
The Budgee is the ultimate shopping robot that can follow you and carry your things. The tracking system stays connected with Bluetooth wireless technology from your smartphone or tablet, and can follow you up to eight hours.
12. MiP
A lot of robotic toys will be released in 2014 and MiP is one of these. The MiP is a 20 cm robot programmed to respond at claps or hand gesture. It can dance, while listening music from its own library and also dance on the music’s rhythm. Like many other toys it can be controlled using a smartphone via Bluetooth technology.
13. Parrot Jumping Sumo
Parrot reinvented the two-wheeled robots by adding new capabilities like jumping and tilts. The Jumping Sumo is an agile robot with gyroscope and accelerometer, while the front camera can capture images and displayed on a tablet or smartphone.
14. Parrot MiniDrone
A new series of mini-drones were revealed by Parrot and planned to be released in 2014. The MiniDrone is a palm-sized quadcopter with features borrowed from the popular AR.Drone.
Its features include two wheels to be driven to the ground. Compatible with iOS and Android, the MiniDrone can be controlled remotely through Bluetooth or Wi-Fi from a smartphone or a tablet. Certainly, this quadcopter will be cheaper than the AR.Drone that has a price of around $349.
15. RAPIRO
A new robotic toy from Japan will be released this year with programming capabilities, 12 servos, RGB LED’s, and powered by a Linux computer chip.
16. DiscoRobo
A lot of dancing styles were integrated in this wonderful little disco robot that loves music and dance to the beat. It has the ability to connect with your smartphone and mimics you.
17. Ozobot
Fun and smart are the two words that describe the game-playing robot called Ozobot. The robot combines the digital with the physical world games using the screen of a tablet or a smartphone.
