Robit, a new home helper robot, has launched on Indiegogo, looking to raise $40,000 over 30 days. At press time, the campaign had raised $16,208 from 24 backers.
Powered by Raspberry Pi 2, Robit is built on an open-source platform that will be available to developers. Robit will be looking to developers to create custom apps that will help enhance the functionality of the home robot.
So, what are some things Robit is promising to do? It won’t fold laundry or vacuum your floors, but it will be able to:
- Monitor the security of your home
- Play games with your kids and pets
- Help you maintain your diet
- Help you find lost items such as keys
- Teach you different languages
- Teach your kids how to program robots
Robit has three wheels – two large wheels up front and one small wheel on the back for stability. Robit is all white and has two LED eyes to give him some personality. Robit’s battery will typically last 5-8 hours, but it depends on how it’s used and how much it moves.
Credit: Robit
Robit will move around the home autonomously, and the robot has sensors on the wheels to track distance and position, as well as ultrasonic sensors, a gyroscope, cameras, a speaker, a microphone, and an accelerometer. Robit also has a 900 MHz quad-core processor and 1 GB of RAM, along with 16 GB of storage for programs that Robit can execute.
“We believe the more brainpower that goes into Robit’s development, the more innovative it will become over time,” says Robit co-founder Shlomo Schwarcz. “We encourage users to hack Robit – meaning modify his software in any possible way. Applications will reflect what users want because those users have a hand in making it so.”
Credit: Robit
Robit hopes to be out in time for the 2016 holiday season and will cost $349. There’s also an Education Pack for $399 that includes one full edition Robit and an 8-hour course on how to program robots.
Credit: Robit
