Skip to Content

CES: Robot with an iPad for a Brain

Is there anything Apple’s tablet can’t do?

Yesterday, at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show, iRobot presented its latest prototype—a mobile robot that uses a tablet computer for its brain.

There have been plenty of other telepresence robots, ranging from video screens on wheels to strange, blob-like prototypes. The new robot, called AVA (for avatar), is an interesting twist, combining telepresence with autonomous control. A user can either operate Ava remotely, for a video conference perhaps, or let the robot maneuver around on its own, carrying out tasks assigned to it through the tablet acting as its head.

AVA is equipped with microphones, speakers, and a host of sensors, including two PrimeSense motion sensors (the same ones used in the Xbox Kinect), as well as sonar and laser rangefinders for mapping. It builds a map of its surroundings and displays it on the iPad. A user can touch a spot on the map to tell the robot where to go.

AVA could open up robotic programming to a host of people, potentially leading to interesting new applications.

PC Mag’s Lance Ulanoff writes:

Angle explained that the inclusion of these mobile devices means that anyone who can program an iPad or Android app can now program a robot. Some more obvious uses include meeting telepresence, home and office security, material handling and grabbing you a beer from your refrigerator and bringing it back to you.

To see the robot in action, check out PCMag’s video interview below.

Keep Reading

Most Popular

Geoffrey Hinton tells us why he’s now scared of the tech he helped build

“I have suddenly switched my views on whether these things are going to be more intelligent than us.”

ChatGPT is going to change education, not destroy it

The narrative around cheating students doesn’t tell the whole story. Meet the teachers who think generative AI could actually make learning better.

Meet the people who use Notion to plan their whole lives

The workplace tool’s appeal extends far beyond organizing work projects. Many users find it’s just as useful for managing their free time.

Learning to code isn’t enough

Historically, learn-to-code efforts have provided opportunities for the few, but new efforts are aiming to be inclusive.

Stay connected

Illustration by Rose Wong

Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review

Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.

Thank you for submitting your email!

Explore more newsletters

It looks like something went wrong.

We’re having trouble saving your preferences. Try refreshing this page and updating them one more time. If you continue to get this message, reach out to us at customer-service@technologyreview.com with a list of newsletters you’d like to receive.