Jordan O'BrienASUS has officially confirmed release details for its ‘cute’ robot helper Zenbo, with the company’s native of Taiwan set to get it first.
At a glamourous launch event in Taiwan, ASUS revealed that those wanting to get their hands on the Intel-powered robot will be able to pick one up from January 1. There is one caveat however – as ASUS has confirmed only a limited number of Zenbo robots will be available on day one.
When the ASUS Zenbo was announced, the company said that it intended to make the loveable robot available by the end of 2016 – and it’s sort of making good on that promise. One promise it has failed to keep is pricing. While the initial pricing was expected to be around the $599 mark, ASUS has now confirmed that Zenbo will be available for $620 for the 32GB standard model, or $780 or a 128GB model that also comes with a self-charging dock.
The ASUS Zenbo was always supposed to be a friendly alternative to existing AI assistants such as Google Assistant and Alexa, but it performs many of the same functions. Zenbo can control a user’s TV, act as a surveillance camera and even make video calls. Since its debut however, Zenbo has gained a few new tricks.
At the launch event in Taiwan, ASUS revealed Zenbo’s singing prowess by butchering Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas, while the robot also gained the ability to make emergency video calls with the Taiwanese police. Other features that have been added to Zenbo include the ability to order food, a taxi or van, do online shopping, play games, stream music and even do the house cleaning – although that latter one will be interesting to see demonstrated.
ASUS has yet to reveal whether its adorable Zenbo bot will be available outside of Taiwan, but until it catches on with the local population, it’s not expected to debut anywhere else.