International CES Show Day # 1 (January 7, 2010)
What a day it has been! It has been eventful, fun, exciting, tiring, and I am actually a little relieved that the day is over. There is just so much to see, which I suppose is why it’s spanned out over 4 days.
I think the adrenaline and excitement took over and I pushed myself too hard. My feet are killing me and my shoulder is rubbed raw from the bag. Even though I put myself through this, it is totally worth going to the show.
Craig and I met there at the show around 10:30AM, and we wanted to cover all of the booths that were robotic related first. Unfortunately, iRobot didn’t have a booth, but they did have presence there checking some booths out for themselves, so we were fortunate to meet and chat with them for a little bit. They didn’t reveal anything ‘New’, but they did reassure us that they are working on the Roomba/Scooba line. They are aware of the CHM issues, and I hope that they will finally address that weak spot very soon.
Outside Photos:
Here are some outside photos of the Las Vegas Convention Center. As you can see, the weather is very nice for the show.
Neato XV-11 Booth:
We saw the Neato XV-11 Robotic All-floor Vacuum system in action. The robot first undocked and paused while scanning the floor. It then moved around to the corner and started to follow the wall. Once the robot sensed the wall, it started to clean the floor in a zig-zag pattern. They claim that if the robot doesn’t finish the home before the battery runs out, it will return to the base, charge, and finish where it left off. They also say that it’s supposed to detect doors and when it’s finished with a room, it will move onto the other room. I have a video of it which I will be uploading a bit later on. I am eagerly waiting to get my hands on this robot so I can write a more robust review. If this robot can clean a home like they claim, this robot is surely a keeper!! The release date isn’t drilled down yet, but I hope we will see it here within a few months. The retail price is going for $399.00. Of course, this price can change either way. Their website is: Neato Robotics
Neato charging:
mint Automatic Floor Cleaner Booth:
We arrived to the mint automatic floor cleaner booth that uses the Swiffer cleaning pads to clean hard floors. It incorporates a Northstar beacon which keeps track where the robot has cleaned and keeps it in a confined area. It senses cliffs/steps very easy, and you can use it as a wet or dry mop. The robot gets into the corners and follows the edge meticulously so you don’t have to worry if it’s going to miss a spot. This robot has great potential for clients if they are looking for an easy robot to do the mopping. Plug it in, load a pad of your choice, and press a button. After it’s done, remove dirty pad and plug in the charger. Quick and simple. It also can be stored upright to save on space. There is no release date when this will be available to the public. There is talk in the second-third quarter. They could bump the date sooner or later. The retail price isn’t drilled down yet, but there is talk that it will be lower than $250.00. I am eager to write up a detailed review on this appliance. I am drawn to the simplicity of the robot with minimal intervention/cleaning. Their website is: Evolution Robotics
Parrot AR.Drone Booth:
Came across the Parrot AR.Drone, which is a quadricopter that can be controlled via an iPhone/iTouch. The video is streamed to the phones as well. It has a built-in Wi-Fi system, and 2 on-board cameras. The inside booth was showing how the quadricopter can follow a color because there was too much radio interference inside the building. It follows the color quite well, changing in altitude and it keeps a good distance away from it also. You can also play with another Drone. I need to veify if it can only be controlled via an iPhone/iTouch. Their brochure says it will include different platforms. I didn’t see a separate remote. This would be a fun robot to play indoors/outdoors. I am looking forward to reviewing this quadricopter. There is no release date, or retail price as of yet. Their website is: Parrot AR.Drone
AR.Drone Hovering:
innovati, inc. Booth:
Next Robotic booth was innovati, inc. They have different modules in which you can mix and match to build a robot to your specifications. They had a spider and a humanoid robot on display. They also had a rover with oversized tires, a grappler which you could adjust the angle and open/close the jaws. The video was broadcasted via Wi-Fi connection, in which one could pan/tilt from the remote. The rover had their sonar module attached via information relayed to the remote. They seem to be a 1-stop robotic part store in which you can mix/match different modules and build a custom-made robot. Their products (PCB’s) look of good quality. I didn’t get the price of each module or if they are currently available. I will find out tomorrow. Their website is: innovati, inc.
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Robot Live Booth:
RobotLive robot looks like a pretty cool toy in which you can navigate the robot around your home and view what it sees on the small LCD screen. I plan on spending more time with it tomorrow. I didn’t get the website today. I will make sure to get it tomorrow. I will also try to get the retail price and the (projected) release date.
Samsung Booth:
Samsung put on a great show with all of their TV’s!! Talk about ultra thin! The first picture shows the front. The second pictures shows the width. Their TV’s are truly amazing!! What can I say?! Their website is: Samsung
intel Booth:
intel had a huge presence there. I personally like intel over AMD due to how much cooler intel CPU’s run. Their website is: intel
Roboni-i Booth:
Roboni-i had a booth there with a few of their robots on the playing field. The robots communicate via zigbee technology between the other robots and the remote itself. They have an online world where you can control your online robot via the remote. You plug in the robot via a USB connector to your PC, and turn on your remote. You can also easily program the robot via a “Drag-and-Drop” interface which is pretty easy to learn. I am currently working on a full review, and it will be live next week (After CES). They are currently available, and the retail price is $146.45 (Amazon) Their website is: Roboni-i Programmable Robot
Stay tuned for day # 2!! I am working to get the videos posted. I am very tired with all of the walking we did today. Tomorrow I am bringing a pedometer and see roughly how far I will walk tomorrow. Talk about getting some exercise!!
