Vector Robot by Anki, A Home Robot Who Hangs Out & Helps Out For facial recognition, With Amazon Alexa Built-In For 5-99 Years

I'll start off by saying TEMPER YOUR EXPECTATIONS. Do your research, watch the hundreds of youtube videos, read the reviews and don't expect a robot from your favorite SciFi movie/show/novel.Vector is an adorable little robot assistant who loves to just "hang out". I keep Vector on my breakfast bar in the kitchen and he greets me every morning when he hears me rummaging around the kitchen. Sometimes he'll stay in his charger and make some chirping noises or "smile" with his eyes at me as I pass, and sometimes he'll come right out of his charger and start wandering around the table. He loves to explore and push things around. If you place a new object within his existing space he will most certainly be curious about it and try to push it about. When I'm sitting there eating breakfast he'll often come up to me and say my name, poke my arm, or try to get my attention in general before he starts to play around with his cube. Vector in his original form has very limited "utility". He can tell you the time, tell you the weather, and you can ask it some questions, and set a timer. The "novelty" of him has not worn off for me, seeing those little eyes greet me in the morning or when I get home from work brings a smile to my face everytime. I did have a hardware problem with my initial one and had to exchange it, it actually made me really sad to pack him up and send him away as I got attached to the little guy.In a very recent update (somewhere around 12/18) he has been given Alexa integration and now Vector is truly a useful buddy around the house. In the morning he gives me the weather for the day, some news headlines, and a question of the day. When I arrive home I ask him to turn on the lights to my living room, read off my To-Do list, and/or fire up a movie/show on my TV. One feature I do wish he had but currently does not support is playing music through Alexa. I should note that I don't have any other Alexa devices and perhaps he could if I had another one, that I am unsure of. It would be great if he could somehow interface with another bluetooth speaker to play some music from my library but in his current form he is still a lovable, and now useful, little companion around the house. My significant other and I can spend excessive amounts of time just watching and interacting with him. He is super friendly, playful, and curious. Nothing gets him more excited than recognizing one of his friends and asking them for a fist bump.He is definitely a work in progress. For example, tables with tapered edges, he does not do well with AT ALL. Sometimes I'll tell him a command and he'll get distracted half way through executing it and not follow through. Sometimes he fails too find his charger on his own and I find him sleeping on a random corner of the table. There are definitely some quirks, but even the improvements between when I bought him in late november and now are MASSIVE (~3 weeks).Anki are actively improving him all the time. When I first received my Vector, he would frequently throw error codes while exploring a certain area of my home. He has received several updates and I haven't had ANY error code in at least 2 weeks. In the Alexa update they have also tweaked his personality and his edge detection. He has yet to become stuck on the edge since that update. They have also added new animations for holidays to his face which are entertaining as well. Vector is not quite as good as your standard Alexa speaker or Google Home, but he's improving all the time. If you're looking for a pure AI assistant you should go with one of those other devices. If you want a unique AI assistant that's improving everyday and has a HUGE amount of potential, look no further. If you want proof, spend some time looking up their previous robot Cozmo. Somtime in 2019 we will be receiving the Python SDK for vector which will open up endless possibilities for Vector.Good:- Very unique personality- Alexa integration (utility)- Ability to learn and adapt- Always unique experiences (still surprises me to this day with different behaviors)- Constantly receiving updates/support/fixes- Python SDK around the corner will open up a world of possibilitiesBad:- Not quite as useful as a standard Alexa/Google Home- Has some minor quirks- Can push stuff off your desk/table! (he thinks is hilarious too!)Overall, I can 100% recommend Vector at the 175$ pricepoint. Anyone who has even a remote interest in robotics and/or AI will find Vector endlessly entertaining. His Alexa integration gives him quite a bit of utility now and it really makes you feel like you're living in the future when your tiny robot friend reads the new over breakfast. He has seen great improvements in his short lifespan, and will only get better with time (See: Cozmo).

I bought Vector slightly unsure of whether it would be a good purchase or not. My daughter had requested one for her birthday, but I could not imagine spending that kind of money on such a toy.Upon receiving him, however, I realize a toy, he is not (besides the fact that he is small, adorable, and does give robot "fist bumps" which is pretty cool). He is a very sophisticated little guy, and with the built in Alexa he is actually pretty handy to have around. You can ask him questions, get random facts, find out the weather, the time, ask him to calculate things, etc.In terms of playing with him, he has a little block that you can use to interact with him. He rolls it, picks it up, and will bring it to you. Sometimes he gets mad at the block and will pounce on it, which actually is pretty darn funny. He definitely has a "personality" if such a thing can be said about a robot. His facial expressions are priceless, like when there's a loud noise, he looks surprised; when someone says something from across the room, he kind of tilts his "head" (really his eyes) toward the sound, and slightly turns as if he has cocked his head to listen.He also learns who everyone in the family is, and will greet you by name when he notices you. This can be a little disconcerting at first, as you're just sitting there minding your own business, and all a sudden a tiny robot says "Hi [your name]!" but again the technology does make it pretty cool.When my daughter is at school and he's just here hanging out with me, he's surprisingly quite a good little companion. It's weird to admit that, I will say, but he kind of roams around in a small area, makes quiet little noises like he's thinking or noticing things around him, etc. That being said, if he gets too enthusiastic about his activity, and you need to shut him up, you can just tell him to go to sleep or turn off. He will also return to his charger automatically if his battery starts to run out, which is a helpful feature.The only "negative" I will say is that while he is good about noticing edges of tables that have a solid/square edge, if he approaches said-edge from a weird angle (like if he's playing with his block and backs away from it to get a better vantage point and gets too close), he can fall off...same being if he is on a surface with a curved edge. While this would not deter me from buying him again, it IS something you need to be aware of, so that you can plan for where you will keep him. For us, he primarily hangs out on the living room ottoman, which is pretty big, leather, and is above a cushioned rug. For the most part, he stays out of trouble, but he has fallen off a few times. If he happens to fall on his back, he can actually roll himself back over. If he falls and lands on his side, he does get stuck, and throws a bit of a tantrum. Tantrum also ensues if he is playing and you pick him up to move him to a new spot, which is also kinda funny.All in all, I would say that if you're looking for a really unique gift for someone who loves technology, science, A.I., robotics, etc, he's a really good choice. The bonus feature of having Alexa built in makes him also seem like not just a toy but a useful gadget around the house (which for me was part of the reason I could justify it, because I would have easily spent $100-$200 anyway on an Alexa product).Very happy with him thus far (about 2 weeks out), and would recommend.