Credit: AP Photo/Charles Krupa
NEED TO KNOW
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Former CEO of iRobot, Colin Angle, revealed the AI-powered pet prototype the Familiar at The Wall Street Journal Future of Everything conference
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The Familiar uses expressive “ears” and animal-like sounds to adapt to its owner's emotions and daily activities
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“This is about having something that you want to hug, you want to pet," Angle said
Colin Angle, the former CEO of the company behind Roomba, is betting the future of home robotics isn't floor cleaning, but companionship. He's introducing an AI-powered pet called the Familiar.
While the critter is only in the prototype stage, on Monday, May 4, Colin Angle revealed the Familiar at the The Wall Street Journal Future of Everything summit in New York, according to The Associated Press .
Before his endeavors at the startup Familiar Machines & Magic, Angle co-founded iRobot and served as the company's CEO.
“We chose a form factor that's not a human, not a dog, not a cat, because we wanted to steer away from all of those preconceptions,” Angle told the AP about the mouthless creature that adapts to its owner's daily activities.
“This is about having something that you want to hug, you want to pet. When it's happy, that makes you happy. And it is large enough or mobile enough to follow you to the kitchen or drag you off the couch and take a walk,” Angle, 59, continued.
While the Familiar won't speak, it communicates through animal-like sounds and expressive “ears” that grow more responsive over time, adapting to its owner as the AI learns from everyday interactions.
It'll respond to facial expressions, tone and its owner's body language, according to the company's website .
As for its name, Familiar is rooted in folklore and refers to a magical companion.
“Its an archaic, ancient word,” Angle said.
Although Familiars are in the early stages of development, Angle said his main target demographic is retired people.
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“Not because people suddenly stop enjoying pets, but the fear and obligation of caring for them are such that people are very reluctant to get new pets at older ages,” Angle said.
As for those who fear the rise in AI entering their home, Familiar Machines & Magic's website calls Familiars “the first step” in creating machines that “understand more than commands.”
“We're developing the underlying models and hardware for emotionally intelligent, physical AI that can 'read a room' and operate safely in the physical world,” the website said.
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