Samsung's new robot is built for IoT

It seems when Amazon developed the Echo, it inadvertently created a future trend. The latest device to come out resembling Amazon’s voice-controlled speaker and smart home hub is Samsung’s Otto. The Otto is actually an interactive robot that includes extra hardware such as an HD camera that enables facial recognition and security camera features.

Otto is part of Samsung’s efforts on the Internet of Things market, which the company focused on at its developer conference by unveiling Artik IDE platform. For now, Otto is just a prototype meant to demonstrate what developers can do with Samsung’s IoT toolset. Since developers are being allowed to create apps for the robot, it seems likely that Otto will eventually make it to the market.

Robots similar to Otto build on what Amazon started. Amazon’s Echo was initially born out of its failed smartphone efforts. It salvaged its personal assistant AI known as Alexa by sticking it into a glorified countertop speaker. It then became a hit for the company and others have tried to emulate that success. It is natural for the capability of Echo to be included in interactive robots such as Otto, though. Other than a camera, Otto includes a screen in place of a face, which is a common design in interactive robots these days. The screen can show animations related to information requested, such as showing rain forecast when someone asks for the weather. Engadget reported that Otto can also sing and dance by bobbing its head.

China suppliers have been working on similar products. Many robots now have LCD screens on their heads to facilitate interaction. More and more, interactive robots are also connecting to smart homes and acting as central hubs. However, many domestic manufacturers have been focusing on the education and children's markets, where sophisticated AI and other cloud computing is less of a necessity.