Google and iRobot team up to put Android apps on Ava telepresence bot
Remember that Ava telepresence bot that we were gaga over at CES? Well Google has decided to lend iRobot a hand in getting the tablet-topped automaton rolling with some Android apps. The two companies have teamed up to create Ava specific programs that can be run from an Android slate perched on the extending neck of this silicon-brained companion. Apparently any 'ol tablet will do, so you'll still be able to play Angry Birds, but where's the fun in that? The exciting stuff will be apps that can communicate with the robot and pass it directions, meaning we need to figure out what our new, mechanical best friends should do for us. We've already got plenty of options for killing and beer serving -- how about one that folds our laundry? Oh, wait. Well, we'll think of something. While we ponder you check out Ava's cameo at Google I/O and the PR after the break.
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iRobot running Android applications to power its Ava™ mobile robotics platform
BEDFORD, Mass. – May 11, 2011 – iRobot Corp. (NASDAQ: IRBT) announced
that it has teamed with Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) to create Android
applications for the iRobot Ava™ mobile robotics platform. These
applications are being demonstrated at the Google I/O Developer
Conference in San Francisco, Calif.
"Ava is the first app-ready robot," said Colin Angle, chairman and CEO
of iRobot. "By tapping into an almost limitless supply of
Android-based apps, Ava is poised to revolutionize how people
communicate and deliver information through remote presence and other
means. With the right ideas, Ava can also revolutionize how people
live both at home and in the workplace."
iRobot Ava is a breakthrough mobile robotics platform developed to
help robot designers, application developers and market innovation
specialists expedite the pursuit of practical, affordable mobile
robotic solutions. It is designed to work with a pad-based interface.
"We've been working with the Ava platform for the past several months
and are impressed with its capabilities," said Andy Rubin, SVP of
Mobile at Google. "We have seen incredible contributions from app
developers for Android devices over the past few years. Robotic
technologies like Ava represent an exciting next step for this
community."
