There are lots of smart home hubs nowadays, but very few of them are on wheels. If that’s a problem for you, LG is here to answer your prayers.
LG’s “smart home AI agent,” is a two-wheeled robot that can roll around your house as a robot butler/DJ/babysitter/whatever else you need it to be. LG hasn’t officially named its derpy smart home hub on wheels, but that just means the naming rights are all yours should you choose to buy this.
For LG, this robot is part of its plans for a “Zero Labor Home” that frees its customers from doing chores or boring housework. Now that’s a goal, we can get behind.
Part-time DJ, part-time butler
LG says it threw a Qualcomm Robotics RB5 platform into its two-wheeled robot, meaning it can handle facial recognition. This way, it’ll know who’s entering the house and will read your facial expressions and voice to see what mood you’re in. After that, it’ll queue up a corresponding song or podcast to set the mood as you settle in.
Beyond that, the robot will give you transportation info, weather updates, schedule reminders, and even alerts to take medications. It’s not completely lifeless either since it can verbally interact with you and even express itself thanks to articulated leg joints. We shouldn’t expect R2-D2 levels of interaction, but it’s better than nothing.
When you’re not home, LG says the robot can patrol your home and look for anything that may have slipped your mind, like an open window or a light that’s still on. You can also have it turn off unused devices throughout the house, or watch over your pets and alert you if they’re up to some mischief.
What is My Purpose?
LG has only teased this for CES 2024, meaning it hasn’t revealed any pricing or release details yet. Still, you can check it out in person at LG’s booth from January 9 to 12 — which could be the first and last time you see it.
Lots of tech companies have tried and failed to break into the home robot space. Did we already forget about Amazon’s failed Astro? What about the Samsung Ballie? We’re not saying LG’s unnamed robot will end up in the graveyard of useless A.I. inventions, but we’re not, not saying that either.
