This quirky robot drew a crowd at CES 2024, but what does it do?
A robot that resembles Link from Zelda mixed with a humanoid fox just stole the show at Unveiled, a showcase that provides a sneak peek of what's to come when CES 2024 officially kicks off on Jan. 9.
The bright-orange robot known as Mirokai drew crowds as it interacted with attendees with its quirky, virtual facial interface and its funky mobility via a rolling globe. But the question is, what does it actually do?
What is Mirokai?
When we spotted Mirokai at Unveiled, we saw it do 360-degree spins, move its arms in a human-like manner, and gaze at onlookers inquisitively.
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At first, I thought the robot's engaging facial expressions were based on some sort of pre-programmed loop, but as it turns out, Mirokai was interacting with the crowd in real-time.
Paraphrasing Ilyesse Laghouane, a mechanical designer for Enchanted Tools (the company behind Mirokai), the robot can detect faces and can recognize when someone is smiling at it. In response, it will smile back.
The main use case for Mirokai is companionship. Laghouane foresees Mirokai being a robotic social therapy device for use in the medical sector, for example.
It can also grasp and transport stuff
Mirokai can also serve as a mini assistant because it has opposable thumbs, allowing it to grasp things.
According to the official website, it has a "97% grasping success rate," making it potentially useful for the hospitality sector, too.
What's with Mirokai's unique look?
If you, like me, were wondering about how the designers came up with Mirokai's anime-inspired design, its eye-catching look came about by striking a balance between familiar and non-humanoid traits. If a robot is too human, it can be a little too freaky. However, if it's too unfamiliar, humans may find it difficult to connect with it.
Consequently, Mirokai combines human elements (i.e., arms and head) and animal features (i.e., long ears), with a slight Manga-like character twist, to make Mirokai more approachable.
Topics CES
Kimberly Gedeon, at Mashable since 2023, is a tech explorer who enjoys doing deep dives into the most popular gadgets, from the latest iPhones to the most immersive VR headsets. She's drawn to strange, avant-garde, bizarre tech, whether it's a 3D laptop, a gaming rig that can transform into a briefcase, or smart glasses that can capture video. Her journalism career kicked off about a decade ago at MadameNoire where she covered tech and business before landing as a tech editor at Laptop Mag in 2020.
