The tiny, AI-powered smart toy Cozmo has been winning the hearts of many since it was first shown off in June, and the fanfare owes much to the toy's cutesy and adorable acrobatics, garnering it a special kind of acclaim that puts its robotic wit up there among the pantheon of Pixar-created characters which are difficult not to love.
Sci-Fi fans might also have something relatable to find here, as Cozmo represents robotic companions in the sizable bulk of 80s and 90s cinema. What was far-fetched and dubiously fictional then is somewhat possible now with Anki's Cozmo, a $180 toy that gets smarter as you continue interacting with it.
Cozmo's main appeal stems from its personality, gushing out a nostalgic voice extremely reminiscent of Star Wars droids, which instantly makes it impossible to dislike. It has a pair of LED eyes that add to the overall droid feel, with a camera underneath to recognize people and its surroundings.
"Cozmo has more personality and charm than any other robot toy I've played with," Wall Street Journal's Nathan Olivarez-Giles said.
Its head looks very much like an old CRT TV, as if the inherent nostalgia wasn't sufficient enough. Its expressive blue eyes undulate along with its head, nodding at certain inputs as a response.
Cozmo integrates with an iOS or Android app. The set-up process connects you to Cozmo's Wi-Fi network, and it will install updates if available. Once connected, Cozmo unlatches from its charger, and starts to travel around the terrain it's set in. From the get-go, Cozmo's cutesy and engaging behavior is visibly in the vein of Pixar quirks, and people are right to assume as such, because ex-Pixar animator Carlos Baena helms Anki's animation department.
"[I]t's the eyes that really shows off Baena's Pixar legacy; with one glance you can tell if Cozmo is happy, angry, sad or in deep concentration." Engadget's Devindra Hardawar said.
Anki's animation department used Maya, a popular 3D software, to program Cozmo's moves, quirks, behavior and interactions, but Baena's to blame here for the seemingly naturalistic way Cozmo comes alive.
Many have noted that while Cozmo is obviously just a programmed toy, the combination of its fleshed-out personality and AI makes it seem responsive, alive, and not at all stunted. It reacts accurately when it encounters real-world inputs, sometimes even shouting "Ow!" when it falls.
Engadget noted that this attention to detail is what truly sets it apart from simply being a programmed toy; it feels very much like a pet who just happens to be a robot.
Apart from playing games with Cozmo and its sophisticated responses vouched by the powerful AI housed inside the robot, Hanns Tappeiner, Anki's president and cofounder promised that multiple Cozmos will be able to interact with one another in the future.
Cozmo will play around 60 to 90 minutes and will sleep when it's out of battery. Yes, it snores when sleeping. Just another fine example of its well-thought personality quirks. Cutesy and adorable might be an initially tough sell for consumers at $179, but Anki is set to open up Cozmo's SDK for developers to create apps that will extend Cozmo's overall functionality.
Cozmo is available now from Anki's website, retailing for $179.99.
