NAO - The Humanoid Robot

The rise of A.I. (artificial intelligence) is upon us. It is easy to see that projects around the globe are growing in numbers and the competition to produce the first fully Artificially intelligent robot is similar to the "Space Race" of the 60's.

Today I'd like to introduce you to NAO, an interactive companion robot. Standing 58cm tall, NAO has been tested and used in a wide variety of cases, from dance choreography, to concierge service, to assisting as a therapeutic aid for children with Autism.

The wide spectrum of use cases is what caught my interest with this hunt. The robot is already fully functional and there have already been over 10,000 sold globally.

Currently in its 5th version. the little humanoid robot is currently being tested in the MIT research labs to help gauge child interest and engagement levels by monitoring facial expressions, tone of voice, body movements and gesture. The goal is to help therapists personalize therapy based on all these indicators, and NAO is leading the way.

The price for one of these little companions is steep, coming in around $8000 USD, but that is almost 50% off what it was just a few years ago. The use cases for AI and robotics are almost endless and as we are seeing the the MIT Media lab, the future is very promising with the help of these humanoids.

What are your thoughts on integrating robotics into our daily lives? Have you seen the movie Ex Machina? Would you like to own a humanoid robot some day? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments. Cheers for stopping by.