Segway Robot to be Available for Developers in Q3 2016

Intel and Segway unveiled the Segway Robot at the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show in January. The robot was developed through a partnership between Segway, Intel and NineBot. It is a robot that uses a Segway as its base for mobility.

Tech bloggers referred to the new robot as part robot, part scooter or part robot, part hoverboard. It is a robot that is also a ride-on which is an interesting combination.

The Segway Robot has telepresence features through its Intel RealSense RGB-D camera. It also has multiple cameras and sensors that enable tracking and follow features. It has a digital display so it can have a face with eyes and a mouth. Other features on the robot include a microphone and an Intel Atom processor. Verge reports that the robot was also given cute little arms during the CES demonstration. These could be made available as an accessory or included in the main robot package.

TechCrunch reports that the base used for the robot is the Ninebot Segway base which was released last April. A version of the robot will be available to developers in the third quarter of this year. The commercial Segway bot will not be available for consumers until sometime after that. Pricing for the robot has not yet been revealed.

Segway says in a statement, "Segway Robot wishes to complete valuable tasks bounded only by your imagination. We aim at offering cutting-edge innovation that many more can afford."

Intel CEO Brian Krzanich said at CES, "The use cases for these devices are massive. On the consumer side, you can think of the elderly - you want to go to the store but you want it to bring your groceries home, you're handicapped and you're at home and you want someone to answer the door or just help you. These things are going to help those people."

A promotional video about the robot shows a man riding the robot through a city street. It also shows the robot helping some young graffiti artists by bringing them supplies. The bot also interacts with a boy and his dog.