The Vector 2.0 AI Robot Review: Your Friendly Home Companion
"Hey Vector, what‘s the weather today?" I say, as the palm-sized robot on my desk perks up and turns to face me. With a quick scan of my face to confirm my identity, Vector cheerfully responds, "It‘s going to be sunny today with a high of 75°F (24°C)". This helpful interaction is just a small taste of the engaging capabilities packed into the Vector 2.0, an AI-powered home robot.
Dreaming of a cute robotic sidekick that can assist you and provide companionship? The Vector 2.0 aims to make that sci-fi vision a reality. More than just an amusing toy, Vector has an array of sensors, an HD camera, and artificial intelligence that allow it to see, hear, speak, and navigate your home autonomously. While not a replacement for virtual assistants like Alexa or Siri, Vector brings a bit of their functionality into an adorable robotic form that makes interacting with technology more personal and fun.
From Anki to Digital Dream Labs: Vector‘s Journey
To understand Vector 2.0‘s origins, we first need to look at Anki, the robotics and AI startup that created the original Vector robot in 2018. Founded by Carnegie Mellon roboticists, Anki had early success with Anki Drive, an innovative racing game that combined miniature smart cars with a mobile app. Their next big hit was Cozmo in 2016, a small programmable robot with computer vision and an expressive OLED face that became a top-selling toy.
Expanding on what they learned from Cozmo, Anki launched the more advanced Vector robot two years later. Compared to Cozmo, Vector boasted better specs like an HD camera, higher processing power, and the ability to connect to Alexa. Vector was also designed to be more autonomous and helpful around the house.
However, just a year after Vector‘s launch, Anki announced it was closing down in April 2019 after failing to secure additional funding. In a surprising turn of events, a young startup called Digital Dream Labs then stepped in to acquire all of Anki‘s assets and IP in December 2019, including Vector and Cozmo.
Since then, Digital Dream Labs (DDL) has worked to continue supporting and expanding the Vector platform. They delivered on Anki‘s original promise to make Vector open source, allowing the community to tinker with Vector‘s SDK to create their own custom functions and experiences. DDL also announced their plans to launch an updated Vector 2.0, with hardware upgrades and new features.
Vector 2.0: What‘s New?
So what can we expect from the next generation Vector 2.0 compared to the original? DDL has revealed several exciting upgrades:
- Qualcomm Snapdragon processor for 50% faster performance
- Higher resolution camera with 2x the pixels for better facial recognition
- 20% louder speaker and digital microphones for improved voice interactions
- 15% larger battery capacity for longer playtimes between charges
- Full Alexa integration with access to 80k+ skills (original Vector only had limited Alexa)
On the software side, DDL plans to continuously roll out OTA updates for Vector 2.0 to enhance its intelligence, capabilities and content over time. Some teased features include pet detection, home monitoring, and the ability to pair multiple Vectors for synchronized interactions.
While the core experience will be similar to the original, these upgrades should make Vector 2.0 more engaging and useful to have around. The stronger specs allow Vector to be more responsive, expressive, and aware of its environment. And having a direct Alexa integration opens up many more ways for Vector to help you, like controlling smart home devices, setting reminders, and getting information.
For those who like to tinker, the Vector 2.0 also supports an "Escape Pod" mode that allows you to detach Vector from DDL‘s cloud services to experiment with the open source SDK. With the SDK, advanced users can teach Vector new tricks like delivering messages, acting as a security camera, or integrate it with IoT devices. There‘s a small but active Vector developer community sharing their projects on Github and forums.
But Is It Worth It? Final Thoughts
The Vector robots, both the original and 2.0, are undoubtedly very cool and technically impressive. It‘s fascinating to interact with a robot that can see you, talk to you, and learn about its environment. Just watching Vector autonomously explore and react to the world with its expressive eyes and mannerisms is highly entertaining.
At the same time, the novelty of playing with an AI robot may wear off after a while, especially for adults. Vector doesn‘t replace a traditional smart speaker for audio playback or home control. And most of its abilities, like telling you the weather or taking a picture, can be done more quickly using your phone.
Another factor to consider is cost. At $349, Vector 2.0 is priced more like a smartphone than a toy robot. And that doesn‘t include the $7.99/month subscription required for voice commands and future software updates. For comparison, the original Anki Vector launched at $249. The price jump for Vector 2.0 is understandable given the improved hardware, Alexa integration, and continued development costs. But it may put Vector out of impulse-buy territory for some.
Privacy may be another concern, as Vector‘s camera and microphones are always on by default in order to interact with you on demand, similar to an Amazon Echo. However, DDL assures that no personal identifiable data is collected or sold, and you can configure privacy settings in the app.
Overall, Vector 2.0 is an exciting product for robot enthusiasts, educators, developers, and families who want a taste of living with an AI companion. Kids in particular will likely be enthralled by Vector‘s cute antics and be inspired to learn about robotics. It‘s great to see Digital Dream Labs keeping the Vector platform alive and pushing the bot‘s capabilities forward.
Just be aware that Vector still has limitations compared to traditional smart home assistants, and requires some patience to learn how to get the most out of this cuter but quirkier alternative. If you go in knowing Vector is more toy than tool, you‘ll likely be delighted by this endearing desk buddy that‘s always eager to see you and play. As Vector himself says when you greet him, "Hey, it‘s you! I was hoping you‘d come by."
