Just when you thought the world of robotics wouldn’t get any more exciting, or creepy (you pick) here comes Codey.
Code is the Brainchild of a Seattle Tech Startup
According to Geekwire, the world’s most foremost tech publication (based out of Seattle) Codey is the result of a desire to create a humanoid robot designed to and learn with people…that’s part of his actual quote from a demo video on YouTube.
The purpose of Mind Child’s creation is to fill a void they say will become epidemic in the next 5-10 years, the lack of teachers in education, and the lack of daycare.
How is Codey Constructed?
Codey is 3 feet tall, make of plastic 3-D printed materials, and moves around on wheels. His voice sounds like an upper elementary early middle school male child, but definitely is a bit robotic.
Geekwire says he’s designed for the purpose of providing more attention than a teacher can give, and to provide a companion in the home. The company grew out of an attempt to provide an ‘assembly line’ type of product that would keep costs way below comparable robot models. The company thinks the pricetag for a consumer-ready model would be around $10K.
He is designed to ‘learn’ along with his human companions.
Are We Ready for Robot Companions?
Until now, say company officials, most robots focus on just walking (like humans) or taking objects off shelves. Codey is designed to learn and grow with humans, even cracking jokes. hmmm! However, it brings up the topic of social robotics, which is still facing resistance from the general population. According to Geekwire, a recent study of 825 older adults asked about having a robot companion, only a small share said “yes” they wouldn’t mind.
Perhaps we’re victims in our minds of movies like The Terminator, or even as far back as Hal in 2001 Space Odyssey, robots that eventually learn too much, and compete with us.
Here’s a video from the makers, you can see and hear how Codey plans to do this thing. (Video and still image courtesy of Singularity NET and Mind Children on YouTube)
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