The era when robots serve us as slaves has finally begun! Erm… I mean as humble homemakers, since slavery is a bit unethical.
Romo was designed as a friendly robot that would do progressively complex house chores. As some of you may have deduced from the title of this post, Romo draws his power and intelligence from smartphones. What I don’t like about this aspect is that both in the videos and in the pictures, Romo is pictured only in the company of iPhones. Still, the robot is promised to work with other smartphones, too. As a matter of fact, Romo could be paired with any smartphone that has a universal audio jack, since that is how the robot communicates with its “brain”. One of the auxiliary ports is used for the audio cable, while the other two are free for whatever the users want. Romo also features a USB charging port, so keeping this robot up and running won’t be a problem.
One thing is certain, though: the developers of Romo certainly know how to promote their cute, little robot. In the following video, for example, Romo is shown delivering a flower to a female coworker. The attitude might seem a bit emo, since the male protagonist is not able to deliver the flowers by himself. However, the robot succeeds, the flowers are delivered and love conquers all. Doesn’t it?
Anyway, here comes downside no. 2: users need two phones to use Romo. One is plugged in at the top, while the other is used as a remote control. The following video presents the robot as a spy. Considering its small dimensions, I think Romo is more than adequate for such a task. That is, unless no one steps on it. The live video stream that is transmitted to the other smartphone seems a bit choppy, but I guess that’s something we could neglect.
The developers promise to bring more apps for Romo. More than that, users are invited to contribute to Romo’s open protocol and to develop accessories for its auxiliary ports. Besides the robot, the package also includes a USB cable for charging, an audio cable for communication with the smartphone, a quick start manual and free apps. Romo will be available in 8 different colors and will cost $149. If you want to see Romo in yet another hilarious state, check out this video, where it confronts a hamster in a ball.
If you liked this post, please check this Kinect-controlled robot and the gravity-defying robot.
