Dueling Telepresence Bots: Erector Spykee and iRobot ConnectR

Yesterday, iRobot showed off two of its latest robots. The first, a $100 gutter cleaning robot called the "Looj" was leaked last month. The second, called the "ConnectR," is a $500 telepresence robot designed to allow a person to communicate with their family, pet, or perhaps thieves. It includes a built-in movable camera as well as speakers and microphones.

Also on display was the Erector Spykee, a treaded, humanoid robot with very similar functionality. When I wrote about the Spykee, I mentioned how it might be nice to give a friend access to the Spykee to let them wander around the house while you chatted as an adjunct to a traditional voice conversation.

So why is it that giving control of a Spykee to a friend seems appealing, while giving them access to the toilet-bowl-shaped ConnectR is not? I see two possible factors at work: The Spykee is humanoid and has a distinct first-impression visual personality. Letting a friend remotely incarnate in the Spykee seems non-threatening and even humorous. The ConnectR, on the other hand, looks impersonal and inhuman—a mobile surveillance platform and nothing more. I'd almost think that my instinct would be the opposite, that by being more generic the ConnectR would be a blank slate.

The other reason could be the way that iRobot presented the ConnectR at its unveiling, displaying it in a sterile home, punctuated by the strange turns of phrase from iRobot CEO Colin Angle's speech, such as the suggestion of engaging a young boy with action figures in "fantasy play." Perhaps the ConnectR feels less human than the Spykee because its creators seem disconnected and—yup—robotic.

The Spykee will be available this Christmas. The ConnectR will be available next year, although a few will be sold in an early $200 beta pilot program.

ConnectR Product Page [iRobot]