I already have a dog, but instead I want to patrol the area using LG’s modern sharp home AI agent, freshly announced at CES. (No offense, puppy.) This two-wheeled robot, damn near the physical manifestation of every cartoon robot, is here to hold sophisticated conversations with you and manage your home. Of course, as soon as it hits the market.
A robot that absorbs its surroundings
LG says the bot, which it calls an “AI agent,” can autonomously navigate homes. This is a positive development if true, considering the history of robot vacuum cleaners that could not overcome a threshold or a carpet. It will also monitor your pets and report problems in your home, such as lights left on, a window left open, or unexpected noise or movement.
In fact, the bot shares many core features with existing sharp home hubs, including integrations to control other sharp home devices. Additionally, the robot uses face and user recognition, superimposed on all kinds of sensors that constantly read temperature, air quality and humidity. The idea is that it can monitor your home, save energy by monitoring what’s in exploit, greet you when you get home and play music that can suit your mood after analyzing your voice and facial expressions – although it remains to be seen how well what might work in practice.
If I sound skeptical, let me be clear, I want a robot. I suspect that like most first iterations, this one will have a few bumps to iron out, but clearly we’re a long way from robotic dogs doing back flips in shopping malls. (It’ll definitely have a nicer name before it hits the market, since the “AI agent” actually exudes the energy of an insidious robot overlord.)
Transforming your hub into a physical presence in your home
This robot is the latest manifestation of LG’s sharp home concept called the “zero labor home,” in which most daily chores and home maintenance costs are outsourced to artificial intelligence and technology. While other brands like Google and Apple rely on voice assistant hubs, LG’s insistence on the robot’s physical presence could be a game-changer.
On the one hand, I just watched Murder at the end of the world and the message was basically: “AI is bad.” On the other hand, the LG washer-dryer I’m currently testing makes doing laundry more enjoyable. Until further notice, I will gladly accept work.
