BBC Science Focus - 02.2020

INNOVATIONSDISCOVERIES

Bring on the

robot butlers

Robots promise to provide a

helping hand around the house as

AI personal assistants make strides

For a long t ime, in novat ions have focused
on m a k i ng u s mor e con ne c ted w it h
each other. Now, we are becoming more
con ne c ted to ou r t h i ngs. Hou sehold
items are no longer just ‘smart’ – they
are adaptive, mobile and some even have
what you might call a personality.
Take Samsung’s Ballie,thenew
ball-like personal assistantconcept
that was launched at CES.Onpaper,
it’s a voice-assistant thatisableto
fol low you a rou nd you r home.
It keeps an eye on thingswhile
you’re away, watc hes t hedog
make a mess and gentlyalerts
you to ‘clean up in the living
r oom’, a nd r em i nd s you
to water you r f avou r ite
pot plant.
Taking a more human
for m i s U BT EC H’s
Wa l ker home but ler.
Dubbed a ‘humanoid servicerobot’,
Walker surpasses home assistants
like Ballie simply becauseit can
act ua lly per for m usef u l ta sk s.

Walker is able to pick up and hand over

a basket of shopping from a trolley, open

a bottle of cola and pour it into a glass,

and even perform a yoga routine. It’s a

strange thing to behold. As Walker

isable to go up and down stairs,

it isa huge deal when it comes to

supporting the elderly and those

with disabilities.

Accessibility is where these

home robots will truly shine.

In fact, Samsung designed

their Bot Chef with exactly

this in mind. Two robotic

arms on the kitchen

counter make up this smart

sous chef, referred to as a

‘co-bot’ – a collaborat ive

robot desig ned to a ssist,

rather than taking over.

While currently just a concept,

Samsung is aiming to make the

BotChef affordable. Bon appetit.

Samsung’s Ballie bot is

a personal assistant

that will roll around

the home

HYUNDAI AND UBER’S

SA1 AIR TAXI

Is it a bird? Is it a plane?

No, it’s a Personal Air Vehicle.

Developed by Hyundai, the S-A1 is

designed to take o from vertical,

then switch to horizontal during

ight, before landing vertically. The

concept unveiled at CES could

carry four passengers plus a pilot,

with a cruising speed of up to

290km/h at altitudes of 300 to

600 metres.

Is it safe?

Hyundai has included ‘redundant’

rotors, to “make sure that a motor

failure won’t crash the taxi”. There

is also a parachute, in case of

emergencies. The S-A1 will be

piloted initially, with the intention

of becoming autonomous in the

future. It’s powered by electricity

and will apparently only require up

to seven minutes to recharge.

Can I get one home from the pub?

Not tonight, we’re afraid. Uber

hopes to perform test ights this

year and is planning to launch a

shared air taxi service in 2023.

Initially, this will only be in Dallas,

Los Angeles and Melbourne, but

considering how far and how

rapidly the ride-sharing platform

has spread on the ground, one can

only imagine what the next decade

BRIEFING

CES REPORT 2020

“HOUSEHOLD

ITEMS ARE NO

LONGER JUST

SMART – THEY ARE

MOBILE AND HAVE

PERSONALITIES”