Cozmo, toy robot, Digital Dream Labs, LLC, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

Anki aims to bring a Pixar character to life with Cozmo, its plucky little robot. TechCrunch talks so Anki co-founder and CEO, Anki Boris Sofman.

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Cozmo is an AI robot from startup Anki, a company best known for making small race cars that connect to your smartphone. With Cozmo, the company hopes it can sell kids and adults alike on the promise of advanced artificial intelligence and robotics all bundled together in a Pixar-like toy. When Cozmo launches in October, Anki will let anyone access the company’s code to start tinkering with the robot and building third-party apps.

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Cozmo is a mini companion robot powered by an emotion engine that develops as it learns about you. Developers will also have access to an SDK to program the robot.

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These four examples show how Anki's Cosmo SDK will work.

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A San Francisco startup has developed a palm-sized robot, which it says learns to recognize each person it interacts with, and play games.

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We unbox Anki Cozmo robot to see what's in the $179.99 package. This is coming to the US shortly and will be the first time we've seen a full personality driven A.I. robot at a consumer price -- to my knowledge.

We have a look at the Quick Tap and Explore games as well as how Cozmo uses face recognition to detect if you are watching.

We also introduce him to some familiar Skylanders, Lego Dimensions, Amiibo friends to see what he makes of his Toys to Life competition.

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We spend another 15 minutes or so with Cozmo for our Day 2 impressions of the A.I. robot called Cozmo from Anki.

We check out the different modes:
- Spark mode
- Quick Tap Game
- Keep Away Game
- Finger Grab Game
- Drive Mode
- Explore Mode

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It's adorable, and it's a sign of where robots are headed next.

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With a team of former Pixar and Dreamworks animators at its disposal, hardware startup Anki launches one of the most ambitious toy robots to date.

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I am going to come out and say it - you have never played with a robot like Cozmo! This robot is so full of personality, it is really like a Pixar character came to life and dropped into your living room.

That may seem high, but you are actually getting very sophisticated and most importantly FUN robot for that price. Here is all the info -

Cozmo is one of the most sophisticated consumer robots available today. Developed by a multidisciplinary team of PhD roboticists, world-class animators, and renowned game developers, Cozmo
represents a major leap forward in the future of play at the intersection of film, toys, videogames, and robotics.

Smarts aside, Cozmo is a real-life robot like you've only seen in movies. He’s a gifted little guy who’s got a mind of his
own and a few tricks up his sleeve. He’s the sweet spot where supercomputer meets loyal sidekick. He’s curiously smart,
a little mischievous, and unlike anything ever created. More than a companion, Cozmo’s a collaborator. He’s your
accomplice in a crazy amount of fun.

General Details:

Supercomputer on treads - Cozmo is constantly scanning his environment and recognizes people.

Almost human - With clever facial expressions, highly-reactive body language, his own mood- setting soundtrack
and unique voice tones, it’s like Cozmo rolled right out of a movie and into your life.

Real emotion - Artificial intelligence allows Cozmo to express a wide range of emotions and to have contextual
feelings based on your actions.

Decidedly durable - Drop-tested and built to last, Cozmo is tougher than he looks. His 300+ parts are
meticulously engineered to keep him alive for a long time to come.

Simply secure - Cozmo is as safe as he is strong. A local device- to-device connection means there's no data stored in the cloud for others to access.

Software driven - Free app updates keep the relationship with Cozmo fresh and exciting year round. First update
with a new game mode and features planned for December, just in time for the holidays!

Gameplay / Freeplay:

Never ending play - The Cozmo app is filled with fun content and is constantly introducing new ways to play.

Cozmo even brings his own toys to the game—three interactive Power Cubes that he’s always willing to share in fun games including:

Quick Tap - A game of speed and skill between robot and human; the first to tap their cube when the colors match, gets a point. Each difficulty level has slightly different restrictions for the colors and
number of different lights displayed on each cube.

Keepaway - Quick reflexes is the name of the game; players gradually move a cube close enough to Cozmo so he can hit it with his lift; pull the cube away before he pounces on it, and watch Cozmo sulk. If he hits the cube, he scores a point.

Freeplay - Let Cozmo roam free to see him scan his environment, interact with his toys - picking up, rolling over and stacking cubes - or pop a wheelie just to look cool.

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We talk to Brian Min (previously of Double Fine), Audio Director at Anki. He talks about how audio, voice and music combine to create the Cozmo experience.

This draws on musical techniques previously the preserve of Stage Play, Film, and Orchestral Scores.

He also talks about comparisons with Star Wars R2D2, Jonny 5, Wall-E.

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We talk to Anki founder Hanns Tappeiner and the new Cozmo A.I. robot. We see the robot up close and hear first hand from the company about how it works and what plans they have for Cozmo in the future.

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We talk to the lead animator of Cozmo to find out how he contributed to the character of Cozmo. Along the way we see:
- Quick Tap
- Emotions
- Cozmo Moves
- Anki Technology

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We take a close look at the Cozmo SDK. Cozmo can be an Alarm Clock, he can Tweet and he can even speak your commands.

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Here is more information on Cozmo from Anki -
Cozmo is one of the most sophisticated consumer robots available today. Developed by a multidisciplinary team of PhD roboticists, world-class animators, and renowned game developers, Cozmo
represents a major leap forward in the future of play at the intersection of film, toys, videogames, and robotics.

Smarts aside, Cozmo is a real-life robot like you've only seen in movies. He’s a gifted little guy who’s got a mind of his
own and a few tricks up his sleeve. He’s the sweet spot where supercomputer meets loyal sidekick. He’s curiously smart,
a little mischievous, and unlike anything ever created. More than a companion, Cozmo’s a collaborator. He’s your
accomplice in a crazy amount of fun.

General details:

Supercomputer on treads - Cozmo is constantly scanning his environment and recognizes people.

Almost human - With clever facial expressions, highly-reactive body language, his own mood- setting soundtrack
and unique voice tones, it’s like Cozmo rolled right out of a movie and into your life.

Real emotion - Artificial intelligence allows Cozmo to express a wide range of emotions and to have contextual
feelings based on your actions.

Decidedly durable - Drop-tested and built to last, Cozmo is tougher than he looks. His 300+ parts are
meticulously engineered to keep him alive for a long time to come.

Simply secure - Cozmo is as safe as he is strong. A local device- to-device connection means there's no data stored in the cloud for others to access.

Software driven - Free app updates keep the relationship with Cozmo fresh and exciting year round. First update
with a new game mode and features planned for December, just in time for the holidays!

Click to expand...

This video features the new Anki Cozmo, Anki Cozmo is a mini robotic gadget capable of interacting, playing games and learning.

From the manufacturer -

Say hello to Cozmo, a gifted little guy with a mind of his own. He's a real-life robot like you've only seen in movies, with a one-of-a-kind personality that evolves the more you hang out. He'll nudge you to play and keep you constantly surprised. Cozmo’s your accomplice in a crazy amount of fun.

Cozmo doesn’t just move; he gets curious and explores. He doesn’t just learn; he plots and plans. He doesn’t just see you; he gets to know you. So call him self-aware, call him almost human. Just don’t call him a toy. He's a supercomputer on treads. And he's fun on a whole new level.

Cozmo's emotions aren’t random. They’re real and felt by everyone in the room. From curious to clever, persistent to playful, he has personality x 10. He’ll be your partner in crime, developing new feelings the more you hang out. But watch out, he’s addicted to fun. Ignore him and he’ll get cranky.

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We unbox Anki Cozmo robot to see what's in the $179.99 package!

Meet Cozmo, the robot with a personality which evolves
Anki have created Cozmo, a real-life robot like you've only seen in movies, with a one-of-a-kind personality that evolves the more you hang out.

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Today we interact with Cozmo and go over all the features that are currently available! Hope you guys enjoy!

Meet Cozmo, the robot with a personality which evolves
Anki have created Cozmo, a real-life robot like you've only seen in movies, with a one-of-a-kind personality that evolves the more you hang out.

Click to expand...