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 am sorry for the long wait on this review as I wanted to wait awhile and see how well he works for an over priced toy. I have to say that this one is a winner. I won't say it is for everyone as this robot is far from perfect and may not be the assistant or sidekick you want.I will start out that I bought this for my autistic son who is interested in robotics. I figured a robot that shows emotions and is autonomous would be good as my kid does not read or follow directions well. He is smart, but can only really handle toys, programs, and puzzles designed for pre-school and below. Anki sort of filled his needs. For awhile, it lived on the same table my son uses for play. But I had to rehome Anki because my kid kept forcing the arm, and trying to feed him. Which in a way is a success, but he would be happier with a robot that can handle rougher play. He still has ful access to Anki. Anki is the best timer we found for this kid and has reduced meal time meltdowns. My kid has a hard time waiting for food to be prepared, and Anki makes the perfect waiting companion. We request anki to set a timer and place him down to play with our kid.His current home is a cookie sheet located at the center of a work table everyone uses. There he entertains us with his antics, answers trivia questions, begs for attention, and gives weather reports. For us, Anki is a pet that does not poop and not a side kick.Everyone is quite attached to this little robot. We empathize pain when he accidentally falls off the table, and feel sorry for him and miss his companionship during power outages. This, of course, is possible because of his programmed reactions and animations to stimuli and how his AI as adapted to our household. An AI that is more advanced than anything else on the market. I highly recommend this little robot to anyone needing a bit of companionship at home. Or a hypoallergenic pet, or any pet that does not poop or shed. You'll find yourself surprised by this little guy as he does very life like things, like getting frustrated when he gets stuck or fails a trick, gets himself unstuck, dances to music or any beet that has his attention (sometimes even suspenseful movie momemts), looks grumpy when woken up late at night, snores, entertains himself with his block, gets excited when you come hom, etc.As stated he is not the perfect robot companion as his sensors do not see well in all light conditions and he cannot recognize people in the morning, evening, and night. Sometimes he does random things like take pictures or answer misheard questions as his audio sensors can be easily confused. He lives on a cookie sheet because he cannot detect round, beveled edges. Which the work table has. His Alexa functionality is also super sensitive. Something we learned the hard way as the TV on our work table kept activating Alexa. HIs battery also has a short charge, so he should not be allowed to play away from his base for long. He does learn and adapt to the household, something that becomes evident when the WIFI is down and all his saved learning is not available, making him operate as if reset. Nothing to be overly concerned over as everything restores the moment internet comes back.