Don't be alarmed if a stool with a lamp on it strolls up to you at this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES). That's just my pal Mi-Mo.
A model of the AI-powered robot made its debut at the trade show's Unveiled media event on Sunday night, hitting the floor on six wood-capped metal legs and greeting bystanders with gentle waves. It's made by the Japanese robotics company Jizai, which bills it as the first-ever "customizable General-Purpose AI robot." I'd describe it as the love child of a mid-century modern table and one of Sid from Toy Story's mutant toys. (Affectionately!)
Jizai CEO and creator Yuki Ishikawa told Mashable that Mi-Mo is made up of multiple AI models that give it the ability to think, act, and adapt on its own using visual, audio, and movement cues. Software engineers will be able to modify these models and develop apps for it to expand its capabilities, he added.
On the aesthetic front, Ishikawa explained that Mi-Mo is supposed to look like a piece of furniture — its wood is real, no IKEA particle board here — while moving "like a living creature." Hardware add-ons and attachments like sensors are in the works, according to a media handout.
Mi-Mo did little more than work the crowd at Unveiled, shimmying around and nodding its lit-up lampy "head," but Ishikawa hypothesized one futuristic situation where it could fetch a cup for its owner.
The preorder waitlist for Mi-Mo is now live, but you have to sign up in person at CES. (More information will be online soon.) Ishikawa said a tabletop version of Mi-Mo will retail for about $3,500, while the full-sized model will go for around $30,000. A small price to pay for your very own dystopian Pixar lamp servant, perhaps.
