CES 2024: LG launches walking, talking “Jetsons-style” smart home robot

LG is entering the jetsons The era of smart home robots. At CES 2024 on Monday, LG unveiled an AI smart home agent that can act as “Rosie” in your own future cartoon.

I think of Rosie because the AI ​​agent is more than just a wisdom center or invisible AI voice assistant. It’s a small bipedal robot (an upgraded version of Rosie’s unstable one-wheeled robot) that can wander around your home and help you with household chores through LG’s smart home appliances.

Meet the walking, talking smart home hub.
Image source: LG

This housekeeping robot is part of LG’s “Zero Labor Home” plan, which is built around connected smart home appliances. During LG’s keynote on Monday, CEO William Cho talked about how data collected from LG products can be used to train artificial intelligence to understand and even predict customer behavior and needs. It’s no surprise that LG is investing heavily in artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things. If 2023 was the year of ChatGPT and AI chatbots, then 2024 will be the year we see generative AI applied to hardware, wearables, and robots.

Imagine this little guy reminding you to take your medicine.
Image source: LG

The AI ​​agent operates through LG’s smart home platform, ThinQ, which connects to the company’s line of smart home appliances, including washers/dryers, ovens and refrigerators. The robot features facial and user recognition and relies on machine learning to understand context so its responses and communications are tailored to individual members of the family. It’s powered by a generative AI large language model, so you can chat with it while you fold laundry.

But all this is possible with any other smart home hub on the market. What sets the LG AI agent apart from other AI agents is its mobility. The robot can act as a pet monitor and patrol your house to see if there are any open windows or lights while you’re away. It can also remind you when you need to take medication and make emergency calls.

Plus, it’s designed to greet you at the door when you come home and can read your mood based on voice and facial analysis – undoubtedly the device’s most ’60s robot butler-esque feature . To recap: What’s old has become new, science fiction has become reality. Sounds perfect for CES 2024.