Panasonic Unveils Egg Shaped Companion Robot at CES 2017

Posted on January 6, 2017

There are many new robots at this year's Consumer Electronics Show. Some of them are being billed as robotic companions. Panasonic unveiled this egg-shaped companion robot at the exhibit. It has an egg shell for a cover that opens up when the robot is activated.

The robot has a child-like voice. The robot has a built-in projector. It has a CMOS camera and 5 infrared sensors. The Bluetooth-enabled robot is powered by a 1.2 Ghz quad-core processor. Panasonic says in a release that it has "human-like movements" but its movements appear more robot-like. The robot does have fluid movements of its projector head.

Takahiro Iijima, Director, Panasonic Design Strategy Office in North America Director, says in a statement, "This test project builds on Panasonic’s innovations in robotics including battery and power solutions, vision and sensing, navigation solutions and motion control in a new appealing design. This is Panasonic’s latest effort in demonstrating network services in a friendly package, and we are showing this robot at CES as a way of obtaining feedback on its features and functions."

Engadget Senior Editor Aaron Souppouris says in the first video below that the robot can act as a desk robot. It can also communicate and play games. The robot can be heard speaking in the second clip. No details about availability or pricing have been released. We could be looking at the future of projectors here where they become smart and mobile. Take a look:

ROBOTS