It’s far from the most sophisticated robot assistant. Truth be told, you best stick with Alexa if that’s what you need. If you want a personal robot that can perform virtual assistant duties while being all manners of fun, we can’t imagine a better option than Little Einstein.
Made by Hanson Robotics, it’s tabletop robot clad in the likeness of Albert Einstein, so you can let the world’s most famous physicist loose in your living room coffee table. Since it’s Einstein, they focused less on virtual assistant duties, equipping it instead as an educational robot for kids.
What really makes Little Einstein special, though, is its expressive face, which comes with over 50 different expressions, making it a lot more engaging during interactions. It can also walk very slowly, as well as move its arms, making for a truly expressive robot to keep you company. Onboard sensors will prevent it from moving if it’s not on a flat surface, as well as keep it from walking off the edge of tables and run into obstacles.
In online mode, the robot can chat about the weather, famous people, food, and math problems, all while still coming with plenty of educational games and activities when it’s not connected to the internet (it has to be paired with the companion app, though). It stands 14.5 inches tall, so it’s easy for kids to move around the house, with the integrated battery enabling three hours of operation in a single charge.
A Kickstarter campaign is currently running for Little Einstein. You can reserve one for pledges starting at $269.