"I'm gonna make ya an offah ya can't refuse"
Zeroth Robotics introduced the W1 at CES, a robot reminiscent of WALL-E.
The W1 is a programmable companion designed for families. According to the company’s website, for $4,999, the robot offers round-the-clock AI-powered security, 360-degree mobile surveillance, and integrates with smart home devices for instant smoke and intrusion alerts. It’s also marketed as an adventure companion that can transport camping gear, follow you around the campsite taking photos as a family photographer, and supply portable power so you can enjoy entertainment on the go.
We built a surveillance device that follows you around and uploads images, audio, video, and location data to our cloud servers, which we have absolutely made very secure! We care about your privacy, so your data will never be shared with anyone except our 372 advertising partners! Please bring it into your home today!
Eh, I'm not buying the complete doom'n'gloom perspective. Complex skilled labor is still very difficult to automate.
wait, is this not what everyone's projects are like?
Yep, too real.
but where is the joke
give us your data give us your data give us your data
Oh, yes, I see, it's just a box with a jet turbine between your legs. No crash safety, and not much room for heat shielding so that must be fun after about 5 minutes.
The operator 44 achieves pitch control of the vehicle 10 for forward and rearward flight and roll control for sideways translation by leaning in the desired direction of flight.
Directional control of forward flight of the vehicle 10 is achieved by vanes 50 in the jet nozzle region of the engine 14. The vanes 50 are split so as to be actuated in opposite directions to swirl the exhaust of the engine 14 either in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction to cause the vehicle 10 to rotate in a counterclockwise or clockwise direction, respectively. The angle of the yaw vanes is controlled by the twist grip control handle 26 actuated directly by the operator's hand through a conventional flexible cable or push rod control linkage, not shown.
So... the only real control is rotation (yaw). If a stiff breeze starts to tilt you over, there's no way to recover.
it wants to remain vertical.
You hope. There's no control surfaces, and only the downward-pointed engine nozzle, so if it starts to tip over from a gust of wind or something there is no way to reorient it. There's also no crash safety.
what exactly keeps this thing from flipping over?
On the other hand, it seems like the past year has provided a lot of new material to work with.