introducing tēmi: the first personal robot for your home

earlier this year, roboteam home introduced the technology and inspiration behind its upcoming release ‘tēmi’, the first, truly intelligent, mobile, personal robot for your home. designboom spoke with yossi wolf, CEO of roboteam home, who shared updates on the design, its overall concept, and how the robot will work.

tēmi is harnessed by the power of your voice and can even recognize individuals

roboteam has already made millions selling a host of robots to militaries around the world — and now its designers are tackling the consumer market. roboteam hopes to shift from its niche industry of defense robots to a commercially viable product.

the robot will be about three feet high

designboom: what inspired you to join the realm of artificial intelligence (AI)?

yossi wolf: AI continues to become a bigger influencer in our lives, and we saw incredible value in using it to bring people together. that idea led to tēmi, the world’s first, truly intelligent, mobile, personal robot for the home. it places you at the center of your technology, including smart home devices, online content, and video communications. tēmi is harnessed by the power of your voice and can recognize you, knows your preferences and actively optimizes itself to your liking. this is what AI is all about — establishing a clear set of rules for learning capabilities so that a machine can optimize itself for you.

‘we anticipate consumers using tēmi as the ultimate AI assistant, personal photographer, and DJ’

DB: roboteam home is hoping to pivot from military robots into a commercially viable product. how do you expect consumers will react to such a novel concept? 

YW: roboteam defense is prospering and it remains the same; we established a new company in tēmi robotics are the next big thing that will make a positive impact on our lives. you’ll find them across healthcare, manufacturing, the food industry, agriculture, defense and in our homes. we want to use the most advanced technology to make lives better, and after working in a niche industry like defense for the past 15 years, I plan on making a big impact for consumers with roboteam home and tēmi.

‘when we began designing, we wondered how steve jobs would design a personal robot’

YW (continued): tēmi is rooted in the importance of quality interactions with friends and family. in fact, I first conceptualized tēmi after visiting my grandmother who was shaking so severely that she could hardly hold a cup of tea. her inability to do simple tasks made me wonder if there was an easier way for her to connect with her loved ones in today’s world. we believe that consumers will respond well to tēmi because of its unique value — tēmi is the world’s first personal robot to use AI, and it comes to you whenever you call it. tēmi offers a new way to connect, and it provides a mobile hub for your video calls, media and smart home devices.

the robot will be equipped with a tray to carry things and can be controlled from a distance

DB: what were some of roboteam’s inspirations for the visual identity of ‘tēmi’? 

YW: tēmi means ‘technology for me,’ and that impacted our visual identity. tēmi is approachable and is very clearly a tool. when we began designing, we wondered how steve jobs would design a personal robot… what the iPhone of the robotics would look like…and thus we created tēmi. the design is minimalist, premium and ergonomic. ultimately, it’s so important that the product functions at the highest level, yet, is simple and intuitive enough for consumers to use in their homes with little instruction.

tēmi is equipped with over 60 sensors to enable flawless autonomous navigation

DB: what kind of design details and features can you reveal to us at this stage? 

YW: tēmi is about 3 feet high and comes with an interactive 10-inch display. you can see the full dimensions on our website. tēmi is equipped with over 60 sensors to enable flawless autonomous navigation, with real time mapping, obstacle avoidance, path-planning and anti-collision mechanisms. featuring advanced AI, tēmi interacts through voice and facial detection and recognition.

tēmi seeks to combine video, audio and AI in a natural way

YW (continued): tēmi boasts state-of-the-art video (with a main and secondary camera) and audio equipment (including four omni-directional digital microphones). you can also use tēmi’s tray to recharge your phone or carry objects as it moves around. tēmi’s functions are built on an open android platform that delivers endless possibilities for educational, medical, gaming and entertainment apps that can move, listen and interact with you. tēmi connects to wifi, cellular data (3G/4G) and bluetooth 4.0. tēmi’s battery life lasts 8 hours and autonomously returns to its docking station to recharge when necessary.

the interactive 10-inch display screen will allow users to video chat with others, learn languages, and more

DB: what are the biggest uses you imagine ‘tēmi’ will have in households?

YW: first and foremost, tēmi will allow everyone to become more engaged and aware of the world around them, rather than locked onto their phones. as far as features, we believe top uses will include video chatting with loved ones in the most natural way possible, heads up and hands-free as you move around your home. and, to keep you present in the conversation, tēmi adjusts its screen to you whether you are sitting, standing or lying down. this is great for young children who may not be as tall as tēmi, as well as adults.

beyond video chatting, we anticipate consumers using tēmi as the ultimate AI assistant, personal photographer, and DJ. tēmi can control all your smart home devices, turning on the lights in every room, controlling the thermostat and keeping your home secure. consumers will even use tēmi to be at home, even when they are away. in the near future, we also envision kids using tēmi to learn a new language or patients using tēmi to overcome distance barriers and connect with their doctors.

roboteam’s go-to-market strategy will put products in consumers’ homes by the holiday season

DB: how will ‘tēmi’ differ from other artificially intelligent home devices?

YW: tēmi is the only mobile robot to combine video, audio and AI in the most natural way. tēmi is the only robot that uses the most advanced AI to optimize its capabilities based on owner preferences and usage. currently, robots don’t interact with humans or adapt to fit their needs. they also lack a clear benefit, intuitive operation and reasonable price. while robots are still generally expensive, we’ve reduced costs through it and software innovations, as well as less hardware. inside, our exclusive ‘robox’ gives tēmi a cutting-edge AI engine, as well as autonomous movement that lets tēmi learn from its human controller and environment.

yossi wolf, CEO of roboteam

DB: what does the future of ‘tēmi’ look like moving forward?

YW: tēmi will continue to bridge the gap between human and robot interaction. our vision is to keep improving and adding skills to provide the first and best personal robot. we envision tēmi will become a standard for the home, and the new way to connect.

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