vector is anki's AI-powered desktop robot and the future of home droids

two years after the release of the cozmo robot, san francisco-based startup anki returns with vector, an autonomous smart home bot that could give virtual assistants like siri or alexa a run for their money. the AI-powered mini bot can detect the user’s face, answer your questions and play games too.

images courtesy of anki

vector comes with a 720p HD color camera stream, facial recognition and over a thousand world-class animations. it requires an app for setup, but after that, all interactions with vector are done with eye contact and talking.

perfectly suited for a kitchen counter, side table or desktop, vector has four cliff sensors on each corner that stop it form rolling off the edge. it creates a 3D map of its environment as it moves about the space, detecting and mapping obstacles.

vector requires an app for setup, but after that, all interactions with the device are done with eye contact and talking. the robot is powered by qualcomm’s quad-core APQ8009 processor, which includes support for the robot’s AI capabilities, which includes responding to a series of voice commands, and recharging itself by returning to its dock.

vector will cost $249 when it arrives on october 12th, but early adopters in the US can get their own for $199 on the earlier date of october 9th through anki’s new kickstarter campaign.