This tiny bot could be what takes consumer home automation to the next level

A new “Star Wars-esque” house robot could change how we use our phones to do things. It’s called Robit. This little guy could help us accomplish simple tasks by extending what your phone can do.

“We thought we’ll take the mobile phone, give it wheels, make it open source and release it to the world,” Robit founder Shlomo Schwarcz told PSFK. Giving consumers and developers an added layer of functionality, it extends the reach of a smartphone. Schwarcz added: “Home robots have generally been positioned as ‘companion devices’ or ‘friends of the family.’ Our goal was to create a robot that actually made life easier for its owners.” The company’s founders realized that people don’t want a friend from a robot. People want a robot to do simple tasks.

While this does not seem like the biggest leap forward, it’s a huge testament to the DIY and open-source movement. The “brain” runs on Raspberry Pi and is open source, meaning its range of functions and the applications for the technology are only limited by the imaginations of developers. All Raspberry Pi libraries and applications will be available in the device.

“We believe the more brainpower that goes into Robit’s development, the more innovative it will become over time,” Schwarcz said.

The robot is powered by apps made from the widely available preconfigured version of the Raspbian OS. Similar to a smartphone, the robot has its own app store with open-sourced applications. The founders will open up the platform — the libraries, the API’s and the built-in applications — to developers.

“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,” Schwarcz said.

Robit is a tool for getting things done and is damn cute to look at. Remember, designing a non-creepy humanoid robot is a delicate affair.

Some out of the box capabilities and use cases of the device include:

• facial recognition

• finding lost items via object tracking

• notifying you at work when your kids enter home from school

• guarding a sofa from cats and dogs

• scanning food and nutrition labels to maintain a good diet

• rolling into your room to wake you up in the morning

• teaching you languages

Robit is like an extension of your phone, affording you the form factor to execute actions not physically feasible with a 5-inch square. It adds a whole new dimension to the programming, giving the phone way more reach in how it can move through space and time thanks to its new robotic form.

Robit

Originally published at www.psfk.com on February 11, 2016.