July 8, 2015Buddy robot wants to be a companion for your family

The Buddy robot features a camera, ultrasound, infra-red and thermal sensors, a range-finder sensor, a temperature sensor and ground detectors (Credit: Blue Frog Robotics)

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We may still be some way from having lifelike humanoid robot helpers, but there's no doubt robots are getting more helpful, friendly and domesticated. Blue Frog Robotics' new Buddy robot is designed to be an affordable family companion. It can help with communications, home security, edutainment and even elder care.

Buddy boasts many of the same features as the JIBO family robot that we featured last year, give or take. The one big difference, however, is that Buddy can move around of his own accord, whereas JIBO is static.

Buddy is mounted upon three motorized wheels that allow him to move around and turn autonomously. He can move at up to speeds of 70 cm / second (28 in / second) and can even negotiate increases and decreases in ground-height of up to 1.5 cm (0.6 in), such as low steps, transitions between carpets and trailing cables.

The robot is 22 in (56 cm) tall and weighs 5 kg (11 lb). He is controlled by an 8-in tablet that also acts as his face and an interface, has 16 GB of local data storage and a battery life of 8-10 hours, as well as built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Low Energy connectivity.

A variety of sensors help to deliver the various functionalities provided. These include a camera, ultrasound, infra-red and thermal sensors, a range-finder sensor, a temperature sensor and ground detectors. Other inputs and outputs include a microphone, an audio output and speakers.

The sensors, coupled with Buddy's mobility, means that he can learn about and interact with the world around him. He's able to map a user's home in real time and avoid collisions and obstacles autonomously.

Buddy can also detect, recognize and track objects and faces, as well as hear, speak, see and make coinciding head movements. He can recognize speech and speak text, with French and English being his two preloaded languages and downloadable support available for Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Korean, Italian, German, Portuguese, Spanish and Russian.

All this technology naturally means that Buddy is a multi-talented chap. He can make phone or video calls for users, tracking faces with his head and following people around as required. He can also acts as a calendar, alarm clock and reminders system.

When users are away from home, Buddy can patrol the premises and detect any fires, floods, burglars or other unusual activity. Users can log in to Buddy and control him remotely via an accompanying iOS, Android or Windows app, viewing their home through his "eyes." Buddy can also monitor appliance and energy usage.

For kids, Buddy can play games, such as hide-and-seek, and test them on their homework. He also acts as a means of introducing children to robotics and the digital world.

Blue Frog says he can also provide social interaction for elderly people, although that seems a touch far-fetched. More realistically, though, he can provide can provide reminders for them, detect falls and unusual situations, and easily connect them to family members and friends via phone, messages or video.

On top of all that, Buddy's technology platform is open-source, meaning that developers can build applications for him. The hardware too is modular, with accessories such as arms able to be swapped out for projector units.

An Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign is underway for Buddy. At the time of writing, individuals who pledge from US$549 can receive a Buddy robot, with shipping expected to begin from May 2016 if all goes according to plans. The full public release expected in November 2016.

The video below is the Indiegogo pitch video for Buddy.

Source: Blue Frog Robotics, Indiegogo

Buddy机器人希望成为你家人的好伴侣

7月8日，2015Buddy机器人希望成为一个伴侣您family

哥们机器人配有摄像机，超声波，红外线和热传感器，测距仪传感器，温度传感器和地面探测器（来源：蓝蛙机器人）

图片廊（7张）

我们可能仍然有办法从具有逼真的仿人机器人帮手，但毫无疑问，机器人正变得越来越乐于助人，友善和驯化。蓝蛙机器人“新的好友机器人被设计成一个经济实惠的家庭伴侣。它可以帮助通信，家庭安全，寓教于乐，甚至照顾老人。

好友拥有许多相同的功能，作为家庭际博机器人是我们的特色，去年，给予或采取。一个很大的区别，但问题在于，巴迪可以移动自己的协议，而际博是静态的。

Buddy是安装在三轮摩托轮子，让他走动，把自主。他能够以高达速度70厘米

秒（在

秒28）移动，甚至可以协商增加及减少的高达1.5厘米（0.6英寸），如低阶的地面高度，过渡地毯和拖缆之间.

机器人是22（56厘米）的身高，体重5千克（11磅）。他由一个8平板电脑中同时充当他的脸和接口控制，具有16 GB的本地数据存储和8-10小时的电池寿命，以及内置的Wi-Fi和蓝牙低耗能连接.

各种传感器有助于实现所提供的各种功能。这些包括照相机，超声波，红外线和热传感器，一个测距仪传感器，温度传感器和地面探测器。其他的输入和输出包括麦克风，音频输出和扬声器。

传感器，再加上好友的流动性，意味着他可以了解和他周围的世界进行互动。他能够映射实时用户在家中，避免碰撞和障碍，自主

好友也可以检测，识别和跟踪物体和面孔，以及听，说，看，并一致头部运动。他可以识别语音并朗读一段文字，用法语和英语是他的两个预装的语言和下载支持可用于日语，汉语中国，韩语，意大利语，德语，葡萄牙语，西班牙语和俄语。

所有这些技术自然意味着Buddy是一个多才多艺的第一章。他可以电话或视频通话的用户，跟踪的面孔与他的头，并根据需要围绕下面的人。他也可以作为一个日历，闹钟和提醒系统。

当用户远离家乡，好友可以巡逻的前提和发现任何火灾，水灾，小偷或其他不寻常的活动。用户可以登录到好友，并通过附带的的iOS，Android或Windows应用程序远程控制他，通过他的观察他们家的“眼睛”。好友还可以监视设备和能源使用。

对于孩子，好友可以玩游戏，如捉迷藏，寻求，并测试他们在他们的家庭作业。他还充当引入儿童机器人技术和数字世界的一种手段。

蓝蛙说，他也能为老年人社会交往，虽然这似乎是一个触摸牵强。更为现实的是，虽然，他可以提供能提供提醒他们，发现瀑布和异常情况，并轻松地将它们通过电话，邮件或视频连接到家庭成员和朋友。

在最严重的是，巴迪的技术平台是开放源，这意味着开发者可以为他构建应用程序。硬件太是模块化的，与配件，如武器能够被换出的投影单元。

一个Indiegogo集资活动是正在进行的好友。在写这篇文章的时候，个人谁从US $ 549承诺可以收到好友的机器人，与船预计将从2016年5月开始，如果一切按计划去。全公开发行预计11月2016年

下面的视频是Indiegogo间距视频的好友

来源：蓝蛙机器人，Indiegogo