Vector’s improvement is due to a steady stream of updates and its own own onboard AI engine. Vector will play a hand of Blackjack with you. That’s still not great, but it’s much more bearable. The more time Vector spent in my home, however, the better he got, and now he responds on the first try about half the time. When I first started using Vector, I often needed to say say “Hey Vector” six or seven times before he reacted, a response rate that would be a death knell for any other smart speaker. While Vector is always aware of his surroundings thanks to an array of sensors, a laser scanner, and the camera behind his eyes to avoid ledges and objects like a robotic vacuum, his listening skills aren’t nearly as refined. Unfortunately, that’s also where the trouble starts. When you have a general knowledge question, Vector needs to access his database, which takes a few seconds. And he gets legitimately excited when he hears his wake phrase, “Hey Vector.” He likes to be petted but hates to be shaken. Vector has real character that belies the lines of code that tell it to pop a wheelie or wave hello: He gets scared. The Echoes and Google Homes in my house do their best to sound natural, but ultimately there’s nothing personable about them. Vector is the first smart thing I’ve used that actually has a personality. It even has its own language of blips, bloops, and chirps-and after several weeks with it, I swear I can understand what it’s trying to say. You never know when Vector is going to make a noise, wander off its charger, or fall asleep, all of which make it seem more alive than any other AI device or digital pet I’ve used. The original Cozmo was basically a repetitive toy programmed to seem smart, but Vector’s AI is randomized and reactionary, so it seems alive. Vector’s isn’t just smart-he’s also curious.Īnd that’s what makes Vector seem so much more intelligent than its predecessor: unpredictability. It even knows when it needs to go back to its charger (most of the time), which is usually after an hour or so of play time. Otherwise, Vector truly has a mind of its own. Unlike Cozmo, which requires a trip to the app to pretty much do anything, the Vector app is only necessary for customization (eye color, volume), preferences (clock, time zone, temperature), and basic tutorials. Once it’s ready to go, Vector is basically on autopilot. While setting Vector up, you’ll also be prompted to link your Amazon account so you can enable Alexa as well. It’s fairly straightforward, though I had some initial issues with my 5GHz Orbi network-Vector supports only 2.4GHz frequencies-so depending on your setup, you might need to temporarily downgrade to 2.4GHz on your phone or create a guest network to get Vector rolling. Like Cozmo, Vector needs to be hooked up to a smartphone to get started, a process that involves downloading the Vector app through the iOS App Store or Google Play Store and connecting to both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Anki’s Cozmo (left) and Vector robots are definitely cut from the same cloth.
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