Here Are 5 Cute Robots You Should Ask Santa For This Christmas

What gift better represents the massive progression in artificial intelligence and machine learning in 2018? The robot.

Extensive research in ML and AI have allowed the world of robotics to flourish, allowing for the creation of both commercial and manufacturing robotics products.

What seemed like to be a bit of science fiction a few decades ago is now a reality. Whether you need something for yourself or something for a relative, a robot may be the perfect gift.

Now you have probably heard how intelligent robots are helping reshape the world of science. Robots will allow for further exploration of the unknown voids of space and even help scientists search the unknown regions of the oceans. From manufacturing to medicine, robots are changing the way people are tackling challenges.

As stated by Futuristic Grey Scott, “Robots will harvest, cook, and serve our food. They will work in our factories, drive our cars, and walk our dogs. Like it or not, the age of work is coming to an end.”

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However,  robots will become a bit part of your home. Though some of these robots are more novelty than a household partner, the following robots host an impressive amount of features and they are adorable.

Buddy

Take all the things you love about your pet and combine that with a robotic assistant, and you get Buddy, the emotionally intelligent robot for your home. Created by Blue Frog Robotics, Buddy is a robot designed to be the perfect playmate and personal assistant for your entire family.  

Like a lot of the robots on this list, Buddy is created for the emergence of the smart home, or a house a with lighting, heating, and electronic devices that can be controlled remotely by smartphone or computer. The future household will be completely automated, operated from a single device or hub.

Buddy can do a host of things in the interconnected home, including home security services, act as your own personal encyclopedia, planner, moving jukebox and even offer small fun games to play with children. The 60 cm robot includes a “face” that can show a range of adorable emotions.

As stated by the Blue Frog Robotics team, “BUDDY has a range of emotions that he will express naturally throughout the day based on his interactions with family members. He will be happy to give you a warm welcome when you come home, he will sometimes be grumpy if you have not paid attention to him, or sometimes without any particular reason, just because that morning, he is not in a good mood.”

aibo

Maybe you want a dog for Christmas? Aibo may be the perfect robot for you. Originally introduced in early 1999, the toy dog has gone through a wide array of upgrades, paralleling the drastic advances in robotics over the past two decades. What started off as a simple toy has grown into a robot that is developing its own dog like personality.

Created by Sony, aibo operates like a puppy with a host of features that might make this robot your next best friend. With the ability to express emotions intuitively, aibo is a tiny ball of energy that is constantly learning from the people and the environment that it is placed in throughout the day.

The cute aibo puppy can develop a relationship with you by understanding your body gestures and vocal commands. Even more impressive is the dog’s ability to see and recognize the face of its owners, just like a real dog.

As stated by Aibo owner Masatatsu Abe, "What Aibo offers is totally different from what a pet can offer. You can feel fresh emotions that you've never felt."

Kuri  

Your perfect home assistant could be Kuri, an interactive robot that is dedicated to capturing all of the important moments from your home. Moving across your floor, the cute little robot has capacitive touch sensors and sensitive microphones allowing you to touch and interact with the robot like it is your own little pet.

Equipped with mapping sensors, the cute Kuri robot can navigate your home autonomously learning and remembering where everything is located and also stay away from cliffs and obstacles in his path. Even more so the Kuri is equipped with powerful processors to handle everything from facial and speech detection, to mapping and entertaining.

As described by the Kuri team, “Unique, heartwarming, and funny 5-second moments of your life at home in 1080p HD. Kuri's mobility and ability to detect faces and pets allows her to capture unexpected moments from a fun, new perspective”.

Aeolus

Aeolus robotics hopes to create robots that could help take care of humans and help them manage some of life’s most mundane tasks. This highly intelligent and adorable robot can do a host of tasks including everything from delivering food to helping someone find lost items across the home.

The safe and intelligent robots learn from you every day, gaining insights about your behavior and constant patterns. The Aeolus robot is here to help you keep your home safe, assisting with cleaning, move furniture, and even mop the floors of your home.

Pepper

Created by Softbank Robotics, Pepper is the most humanoid looking robot on this list. Pepper is one of the world’s first robots to recognize faces and identify basic human emotions. The 120cm tall boyish looking robot can interact with humans in ten languages including, English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, and Arabic.

The robot is already in classrooms and businesses around the world. However, it is available for purchase to help around the home as your own friendly home assistant.

Would you get a robot for Christmas?