Meet Jibo, the interactive robot for every home

Cynthia Breazeal made a name for herself when she blazed the trail in the area of social robotics after she developed Jibo- the first social robot.

Breazeal’s creative nous was sparked when she watched NASA’s Sojourner rover land on Mars in 1997, as she remembers thinking, “We can send robots to space, but we still don’t have ones that can ‘live’ beside us.”

That thought later gave birth to Jibo, and this spring, Breazeal will begin shipping Jibo, the world’s first companion robot for homes, and the pinnacle of Breazeal’s18-year endeavour.

Read also: Robots could decompose when they ‘die’ just like humans

Speaking about how robots will become family members, guarding the home, and reading us bedtime stories Breazeal said; “The first time I really became aware of robots was when I saw Star Wars. I was 10 years old, and I was in the theatre. Seeing R2-D2 and C-3PO—that was really the moment. I just fell in love with them.”

When asked about how Jibo differs from other robots she said; “The robotic products today are designed to do only one thing. For example, when you buy a Roomba, it’s a vacuum, and that’s all it does. We’ve positioned Jibo as a versatile companion, one that offers utility with the warmth of a meaningful interaction.”

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