Start your laser beams, it’s time to turn into a robot.
No, seriously. After years of development Anybots, the startup that builds remote-controlled roving robots, is shipping its first devices to consumers. Customers who pre-ordered their robots will start getting their orders this week, and Anybots will begin filling orders placed today in March.
If you haven’t heard of or seen an Anybot before, check out the video below, which we shot last summer in at TechCrunch headquarters. In it, our own Michael Arrington takes control of one of the robots and explores its features — he drives it around the office, runs into my legs a few times (the robot has a gentle touch because of its object avoidance system) and shoots his low-power laser beam at one of Anybots’ lead engineers. → Read More
Okay, the future is officially here. A few days ago, the team from Mountain View-based startup Anybots swung by TechCrunch headquarters to deliver a special new addition to our office: Anybots robot model QB, which stands around five feet tall and can zip around the office at 3.5 miles per hour on a pair of sturdy wheels. It looks like a cross between a Segway and E.T., with some optical sensors and cameras making up its ‘face’. Oh, and it’s currently being controlled by my boss, Michael Arrington, who has been using it to remotely roam the TechCrunch office to make sure we’re working hard while he’s up in Seattle. At least, that’s what he’s supposed to be doing — he’s spending most of the time gleefully running over our feet as he blinds us with a green laser beam. The future really is amazing.
In the video above, Mike takes control of QB via an internet browser to help me interview Anybots robotics engineer Daniel Casner. And by help, I mean he shows us what happens when you drive the robot directly into a wall and repeatedly bump into Daniel in an attempt to get him to spill Anybots secrets (it didn’t work). Note that the little wire hanging down from the robot’s head is actually a microphone that’s transmitting to our camera. → Read More
