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Imaging Robots/Drones

Appbot Riley patrols, keeps its eye on your abode

The promise of the future is one built on the idea that robots will help humans progress against the challenges of tomorrow. Making this idea a reality will require huge leaps in technology, the types of which are around the proverbial corner but still a while off. Until then, there are products like the Appbot Riley that afford a glimpse at these possibilities.

Riley is a charming little robot designed to be a set of eyes and ears in the home when work or play calls. This roving robot is equipped with a microphone, speaker and 5MP camera with night vision capabilities, all of which can be controlled from its companion smartphone app over Wi-Fi to take snapshots, record video, check around the house, or communicate with those who may be at home.

Its grippy treads allow it to travel over various types of terrain with ease while its design lets it climb slopes and even stand up if knocked over. After 1.5 hours, it’ll be time to charge. At this point, it’ll seek out its swiveling docking station to top up on energy while still keeping an eye out by using its built-in motion detector, sending out smartphone notifications if it senses untoward. $159 gets backers their very own robot companion, slated to ship in July 2016. The Riley Indiegogo campaign is looking for $50,000 by May 14th, 2016.

Riley is part-toy, part-sentinel. While having a set of eyes and ears back home is always a welcome feature set, ultimately the little robot doesn’t do much more. Something like The Sense is a much more feature-rich — and much sleeker — alternative.

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