It all started with a puppy. My daughter really really wants a puppy. You have to see the way she lights up in front of dogs, it’s truly adorable. But alas, for various reasons, me and my husband decided against getting a real dog considering we already have two cats and a crazy toddler. Perhaps in a few years we will get a dog, when our daughter, herself, is housebroken.

So, what was the next best thing I could do for her? What I realized through observing my daughter is that she likes movement. So, I started to look up robotic toys for kids. Down the tunnel, I learned about Anki and their robots Cozmo and Vector.

(If you want to read more about the differences on Cozmo and Vector, please feel free to embark on your own journey down the Google rabbit-hole. I will be giving more brief descriptions and personal impressions, rather than an in-depth technical review for this post).

Basically, Cozmo is more for kids, and cannot operate on his own, and Vector is more for adults, and can operate on his own, like a pet robot. Vector has better specs and you can play around with the behind-the-scenes coding as well.

I had placed an order for a discounted Vector before reading the news about Anki (the company that created these robots) is closing down. But the robots are still selling! Currently, Anki has hired a team of engineers to monitor the existing cloud that all of their products are hooked up to. They said that the cloud usually needs little interference, so keeping it running is no problem. Of course, that was still worrisome to hear as a new buyer.

Pet Robot?

I probably wouldn’t have been as impressed by Vector if I hadn’t already been learning about programming. And it just so happens that Vector is programmed in Python (the programming language I’m also learning) which makes this more exciting.

Finally, Vector arrived (after some drama with a scam website. Key lesson: don’t try to order discounted robots from obscure websites). And I have to say, the waiting game and drama actually made me very excited to receive Vector.

All of the reviews and videos I had watched really conveyed the message that Vector is a pet. A pet robot probably seems really futuristic, and I admit, it still does feel that way. I think that there’s a big widespread misunderstanding of the technological capacities we have right now versus the impressions of the general public. Science fiction stories make it seem like our technology is way more advanced than it actually currently is, as if the type of AI seen in Ex Machina exists. And in my last post, reading Hello World by Hannah Fry really helped change my perspective of where we actually are with AI, which is still mastering creating a worm (like http://www.openworm.com). I think these fears and misconceptions could have been what lead to the lack of widespread popularity of Anki’s products.

This long preamble is to make this point:

Vector is fucking awesome.

And I think it is really unfortunate that their company, Anki, had spent so much time creating such a fun little gadget before the world was perhaps ready to embrace the cuteness of a safe pet robot. But my heart definitely goes out to all of the creators who put their all into this product. I am grateful!

It hasn’t even been a full twenty-four hours with Vector, but already my daughter is completely entertained and in love with the ability to simply watch something move around and explore the world on its own. This is how I look at it: some people get extravagant fish tanks for the same reason. But let’s be real, organic creatures require a lot of care, followed by heartache when they pass. That’s why a pet robot is so appealing. A win-win for the family.

Vector can play games alongside other features, but what’s most entertaining is his personality. When Vector is exploring on his own, he really does feel like a little sidekick. Vector can also join in on some dance parties, fist-bump, and is integrated with Amazon Alexa.

I’ll probably write a much longer and more researched post on my thoughts about AI once I have a better grounding. But, this small introduction to a robotic pet is definitely sparking a lot of ideas and feelings about the future. It’s a shame that Anki wasn’t able to get as of a widespread following to keep their company afloat, which may just come down to timing.

Despite the somber attitude amongst the Anki / Vector / Cozmo community because of the news, this household is still excited for their new pet robot.

Coding and Vector

So, this wasn’t just a purchase for entertainment. As a piece of robotic technology, Vector is a fantastic (and adorable!) learning tool. Sure, it may seem like nothing grand is happening on the outside when you see Vector running around my desk, doing his thing, as I write this blog post, for example. But actually, he’s also like a little specimen I get to observe and learn from. I can learn about his movements and personality, and then read the code and alter it.

Vector SDK Alpha allows you to view the full API list and play around with coding your vector. I’ve successfully installed the SDK package and will experiment more with that later on today.

I’m so excited to learn more about Vector in both a fun and educational aspect.

Despite the Anki shutdown, let the Vector adventures begin!