Dr. Cynthia Breazeal of the MIT Media Lab Launches Crowdfunding Campaign to Bring Social Robotics to the Home.
Jibo is the world’s first family robot, bringing intelligence and helpfulness with heart to the connected home. Founded in 2012 by Cynthia Breazeal, a pioneer of social robotics and human robot interaction from the MIT Media Lab, Jibo Inc. takes technology from user-friendly to genuinely friendly. Jibo is fun, attentive to your needs and good for the whole family. Built as an open platform, Jibo can ultimately be whatever you want it to be — from a personal assistant or tutor to a health coach and attentive companion — Jibo has your back.
Jibo defines a bold, new way to interact with, coordinate with, and nurture those that matter most in your daily life. Jibo brings technology to life with personal and emotive engagement. Unlike the gadgets and other tech in your home now, Jibo fits in more like one of the family. As soon as you bring Jibo home, he will start to learn about you. He will recognize the different voices and faces in your family and as he interacts with you. Jibo’s personality and intelligence will come to life through various skills that provide companionship and help you to coordinate and manage daily activities as well as stay close to those you love even when you’re apart. Initially, Jibo will be able to perform these roles:
1. Photographer: Jibo is your on-demand cameraman. Using natural cues like movement, speech commands, and face and smile detection to know when someone’s posing for a picture, he’ll automatically capture your most precious moments on photo or video so you can stay part of the action.
2. Minder and Messenger: Jibo is a hands-free helper with a personal touch. You can ask Jibo, directly or via the Jibo Link app (on iOS and Android), to take voice messages or remind you of things you need to do. Since he recognizes you and each member of your household, and can interact with natural social cues, Jibo can deliver the right messages to the right people at the right time. Jibo brings all of this to you in a fun, natural and polite way that saves you from yet another beeping device and allows you to stay engaged in what you’re doing. You can also add Jiboticons to your messages and reminders that Jibo will perform with entertaining animations and movement to bring them to life.
3. Storyteller: Jibo is a theatrical performer and interactive storyteller just for you. As Jibo tells stories, he can look at you and respond using sound effects, graphics and physical movements to keep you engaged and delighted — all while supporting playful learning for kids.
4. Communication Avatar: Jibo turns phone calls and video chat into active participation. His see-and-track camera makes it easy for you turn and look at people. His physical expressiveness allows you to show what you are feeling in a new way. With Jibo’s emotive telepresence abilities, you feel more like you are actually there, emotionally present, and able to participate even when you can’t be there in person.
5. Delightful Companion: It’s not just what Jibo helps you with, it’s how he does it. Jibo has a physical presence like an attentive companion. With helpfulness and heart, Jibo will put a smile on your face and make your life better.
We already love you Jibo. See you soon.
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