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Frequently asked questions - Amy & Alf
Some questions arise more often than we care to answer them. That’s why we put them here, so that we don’t have to answer them!
“Cute, but what can it do?”
Both Amy and Alf are quite advanced when it comes to hardware. The hardware capabilities are far greater than the currently implemented functionality on the bots, and usually one bot is assigned to a specific purpose eg. receptionist/security guard etc.
Currently, the bots can sing, dance, show pictures and videos, record audio and video, announce themselves to get the attention of passerby’s, respond to voice commands and questions, collect data via surveys or questionnaires, and of course, being android based, they can offer the same capabilities as any tablet/smartphone when it comes to digital interaction. Here are some links to read more about the bots currently implemented capabilities:
“What are the specifications of the bot?”
Hardware wise, the bots are equipped with multiple cameras (3D camera array) to view, analyze and read the environment. Both bots also have an array of IR sensors as well as distance measurement laser sensors for enabling movement and object detection and avoidance. The bots also have body detection sensors and touch sensors, to enable natural human interaction.
While great hardware specifications are the core for any great bot, connectivity is the most important feature of any modern bot, both bots are fully connected both via Wifi and Bluetooth.
Both bots are have excellent development platforms. Both bots offer interaction through an Android tablet, Amy also features a full linux x86 based computer. Both bots also offer software development kits and API endpoints for both audio and video, as well as cloud solutions for analytics and deployment.
Here are some links to learn more about the specs of the bots:
“How much do they cost?”
Bots come in very different shapes and sizes thus their prices vary a lot (Guide to the world of robots). Their intended use case is also something of a factor when it comes to price.
We have been focusing on social, humanoid robots, and among humanoid robots, we found that arms are super expensive! So we didn’t buy arms. Or well, Alf has paddles!
Do keep in mind that we have also purchased other bots for classroom development purposes. Feel free to ask Dennis Biström about those.
“My question isn’t listed!”
That’s too bad, go ahead and send us a query! You can write your questions in the comments below!
If your question is one that comes up often, you’ll find it here sooner or later 🙂
