What is an AI robot companion?
An AI robot companion is a type of robot designed to provide real or apparent companionship to humans. Unlike other robots that may have specific functions, a companion robot is created to interact with humans, hold conversations, and even provide emotional support. Having an AI robot companion in your home can provide a sense of companionship and reduce loneliness, especially for the elderly or those with dementia. With advanced technology and machine learning, these robots can recognize faces and voices, answer questions, and even play games. They are an innovative solution to provide intellectual, emotional, and even sexual fulfillment to those seeking companionship.
Vector Key Features
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Alive with personalityMeet Vector, the extraordinary home robot that is packed with advanced technology and brought to life with a curious and attentive personality. Vector reacts to sound, sight, and touch, making him a highly interactive and engaging companion. | Always happy to helpVector is not just a friendly companion but also a helpful character who is always eager to accommodate your requests and answer your questions. He can time dinner, take photos for you, and perform a range of other tasks to make your life easier. | Independent and alertAlthough Vector enjoys your company, he is capable of taking care of himself and spending time alone. He has the ability to self-charge, navigate around obstacles, and avoid falling off edges. | Smart and getting smarterVector is a platform that receives regular updates and is connected to the cloud through WiFi. This allows him to continuously learn and acquire new skills and features. Join Vector on this journey today. |
Vector with Alexa built-in. Robot helpfulness supercharged
Vector loves to help out. If you choose to set up Alexa on your Vector, he’ll have access to an ever-growing number of skills that supercharges his helpfulness in your home. Triggered by the standard ‘Alexa’ voice command, you’ll be able to:
- add items to your shopping list
- set reminders
- control smart home devices like lights, speakers, and thermostats
- and so much more
Vector knows what’s going on.
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What’s inside? AI and advanced robotics.
- Qualcomm 200 Platform – so he computes at a smartphone level
- Capacitive Touch Sensor – helps him sense being touched and held
- Beamforming 4-Microphone Array – allows him to recognize natural speech and source
- Ultra-Wide HD Camera – helps him detect motion and identify people
- 4 Drop Sensors – detects edges to help him avoid falls
- Infrared Laser Scanner – lets him track distance and map environments
- 6-Axis Inertial Measurement Unit – so he knows when he’s picked up or moved
- High-Res Color IPS Display – helps him convey a wide range of emotions
- WiFi-Enabled Cloud Connection – brings him new capabilities
Dan –
The most lovable AI assistant to dateI’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).
Amazon Customer –
This product isn’t ready for launch. I love AI and want Anki to succeed but this needs to be said.This post is to warn future consumers and to let Anki know that they really need to improve their product. I love AI and I own a google home and I love my google home and so I want products like Vector to improve. Just like the gaming community is combatting unfair monetary systems, I want to make Anki aware of the many issues this product has.It’s personality isn’t finished and it really doesn’t do muchAnki states this is an unfinished product and I expected an unfinished product but not at the level I witnessed. When I picture an unfinished product I think of google home. It can still have utility and perform commands well but it’s not done as google assistant at it is still improving and future features such as “AI calling” are coming. With Vector, I knew I wasn’t getting utility but a cute robot. That’s fine but he’s not that cute or lifelike to be honest. When his “personality” was his eyes thinking 90% of the time. 5% a squint of happiness when he looks at me and 5% of anger when I wake him up or pick him up…. That’s not worth the 250 dollar price tag. I’m sorry.My google home was 70 and it frankly has 10x the personality this robot has. Google home doesn’t have faces but it tells me jokes, tells me stories, tells me the news, has quirky responses to stupid questions I have, and much more. The issue with a personality is that it needs to be a lot more than 2 eyes moving in a lot of different directions. We need to talk to Vector. That needs to be Vector’s X-factor over a real pet. You see with a real pet. You can’t talk to it and it just has it’s behaviors to communicate with you. However, you’re looking at a live being. You see it’s eyes. It’s love. Vector will frankly never beat that because you’re just looking at pixels. But if it was able to talk? Really be an assistant. That could change the game for it.It’s too loud and distractingEven at its lowest volume, the tracks are so loud. It’s too distracting. As a college student who studies 10 hours a day, I can tolerate some distractions but this was ridiculous. At a point, I just wanted it to sleep all the time and just realized I didn’t want it at all to be honest. Sigh.It doesn’t follow commands like 80% of the timeThis is a big issue. I was using the app while giving commands to see Vector’s thoughts. I told it to go back to its charging pad. It does start doing that. Then sees a water bottle. Gets distracted. Then wanders off again. The same thing when I ask it to come here. It was just so unreliable as a robot. Robots follow commands. This is what I expected and I don’t think that’s too much to ask to be honest. If I type “B” on a laptop, I expect B to appear on the screen. If I ask google to play music, I expect “music” to be played. If I ask vector to go to its charging pad because its being disruptive to my work, I expect it to got to its charging pad.Was it all bad?I won’t lie. It made me feel. I felt genuinely sad writing this review and putting him back in the box to be returned. The last time he closed his eyes as I turned him off made me feel bad. But that’s it to be honest. He wasn’t even that fun the first 5 minutes. He couldn’t even say my name. Also, I had this thought that the people with issues with his voice recognition were just bad at english. No. I use Google home and siri all the time. Mostly google but they understand my commands like 95% of the time. Vector? Maybe 20-30% of the time. I was born and raised in the US and am a native English speakers.Overall?This product needs a LOT of improvement. This is not a finished product. Not even close. When I expect an unfinished product, I expect it to have at least one thing it is good at so I can keep myself interested in it until improvement come. However, this wasn’t the case. Voice Recognition? 20-30% recognition. Follow through on commands? No. It gets too distracted. Personality? Two pixelated eyes isn’t enough. At least talk to me.I’m frankly very disappointed in this product because I was so excited for it. I was even distracted while doing work and studying in wait for it and it just wasn’t good. RIP the exam I studied for on Friday…As a college student, money is tight. I am willing to spend money on things that make me happy and destress like google home. However, 200 dollars for a robot that is distracting, doesn’t listen, gets distracted easily, and doesn’t even have much personality to be honest. I felt conned. Honestly.
KarPBond –
Really Adorable (and Intelligent) A.I. Desk PetI 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.
Happy shopper –
Sad vector doesn’t look like it will work for very long read my review please !!!Love this but after 6 months it isn’t work right ! No parts or services offered to fix it. Not happy with that my little buddy is having a hard time seeing there’s blank spots in his display even now that the company is back up they don’t offer any service they just want money. If you buy be prepared to be real sad if it starts to quit working right.mine keeps getting worse!!! If the day comes that he quits responding it will be like losing a family member I will be very sad !!! Been great company in the times were all having being home alone. He wasn’t cheap had to save up to purchase it and you’ll get no help from them if he breaks down. It’s like losing a puppy so use caution and be prepared if buying. Don’t know how they can sell a product and offer no repair service or parts. Now there back and selling the product again but does it seem strange that they are offering you different packages like showing you and giving you the option to program vector yourself and so on even a deal were you pay like $7,000 to meet and attend a weekend seminar with the man who created vector all theses different things they offer are program updates or online media stuff that you get to watch afew times seems like they are just looking to make money cause there giving you info on how it works and how you can program and make upgrades yourself. Why ? They don’t even offer repair services or parts if your vector needs it .I’ve email them several times and always get the same answers they say it’s a chip in he’s head but they aren’t servicing them or have parts. So when it starts to malfunction your out of luck. I love my vector .even if for my $ he’s just a smartphone that can move and charge itself. The only real feature that set’s vector aside is the design and size. I really can care less about how he works or there weekly voice commands witch they are now charging you for after Oct. 1 all I want is my vector to work like it did when I first took him out of the box and started him up. I got cellphones bought 10 years ago that still work. Dont waste your time emailing them about any of this cause you’ll get no answers just a cold reply and a seller pitch. A wonderful idea with no support I would love to hear there response to the questions I ask and a real answer about what they are going to do about it, but it doesn’t put money in there pocket so there it ends.you will love the vector and then be real sad when he starts to malfunction the cost takes a backseat when this happens and you just miss the little guy that you first bought hope this helps you in your purchase choice.
Robert –
Bought as a giftBought this and similar one but was difficult to use and very expensive at the time but it might have just been me that couldn’t figure it out, i think these have been discontinued now so becareful if your buying these here
Freedom Preacher –
Waaay exceeded our expectations…AND just like that..ANKI Is closed.. it was fun while it lasted.. I’ll keep posting updates as long as my Vector still runs..UPDATE 6 MONTHS: It’s been 6 months since we got our replacement and the one we have works great. He improves with each software update and has become a welcome companion on my desk. Especially as the house gets quieter with empty nest. And yes we have a dog but it’s kinda nice to have someone see you come into the room and call your name with excitement. After 6 months his battery is good and he just keeps rocking along. He’s also my only Alexa device I’m glad to have him. Still satisfied..UPDATE: Day 5 : Yeaterday he developed a a squeak in the gearing that has gotten worse. Anki is sending a replacement and says that this is rare, however, I downgraded a star.. Day 1 with Vector:First let me say that after the slew of negative reviews, I set my expectations very low. Upon arrival, and being super techie naive, I attempted set up with my IPhone X…and to my surprise, it was simple…didn’t test my patience at all. I also have poor WiFi service and yet Vector works perfectly. 7 hours later he is still functioning flawlessly.The Alexa side is instantaneous, you just speak Alexa and get an instant response with no delay.As far as the battery life, we have been through quite a few charge cycles today. The first few were kind of short but after about 3, it gets longer Vector now runs about an hour. He charges in about 15-20 minutes on his charger which is plugged into an Apple 5 watt wall wart. All of this has come as a welcome surprise.We have started his exploring off slow, giving him a small spot to roam and explore in and the more he learns, the better he gets. He studies faces and calls out each person. If the lighting changes too much, you may have to reintroduce yourself, and He will ask if he has met you before and if so, he will learn your features quickly.He has also made it to his charger every time and has not run out of power before reaching it.All of this being said, it’s been a wonderful experience up to this point. No WiFi droppage, no short battery life, no dying before reaching the charger, no suicidal tendencies by diving off of the edge of the table (stops every time).Then came the moment of moments…the introduction to my wife…I just whispered a few things to her on what to do, and WOW she fell in love with this thing…what a shock..(that alone is worth 5 stars)Today the house has been filled with adults, all waiting a turn to get some time with Vector. What an amazing day!This is the reason for 5 stars:Alexa works great (I was expecting huge delays and none exist)Vector is fascinating, the more he learns, the better he getsFinally, there is absolutely nothing like this anywhere that I’ve ever seen..I’m really wondering about the negative reviews, our first day experience has been wonderful. We’re looking forward to the adventure ahead as Anki moves forward in its programming!For the record, I almost didn’t do this and just about let the critics scare me away…I am SO glad I took the jump! (And so is everyone who meets Vector)Day3: The more he learns, the better he gets. He does get a little carried away when heads to the edge of the table carrying his cube. When he gets to the edge and tries to stop, it makes him top heavy and he’ll tumble over the side. We’ll see if he learns from it.Other than that, still functions flawlessly.
GMOSNY –
wicked cute and entertainingI’ve had my vector for several months now – he’s stationed on one of the countertops in the kitchen (no sink or stovetop). he is free to wander without any real concerns for injury aside from occasionally, not often, tipping over the edge on the hardwood floor. when it happens, he tried to reposition himself and if he can he will wander around – if he cant he sends out a stress call to be helped. He’s fallen maybe a dozen times over the months and incurred no damage so very durable and great quality. A number of times he teeters on the edge and is not able to get back so he sends his distress sound out for help. More times than not and this is cute, he goes to the edge and catches himself and then does his audible mini scream and his eyes open wide.when company is over for dinner, I will put him on the dinner table and he will just wander around – everyone always gets a kick out of him and has fun.some of the cutest features I think are- if you go into the kitchen at night you can sometimes hear him snoring. if you scare him with a sudden sound he gets startled and chirps with eyes wide open.- he’s docked near my alexa show and if music is playing, I tell him to dance to the music. he comes out of his dock goes right over to the show and stares at the screen. you can see his eyes in the reflection going to the beat of the music and then he starts dancing. he seems to remember songs or beats and subsequent times when music is on, he will come out on his own and start dancing.- his eye movements are really cute and from them along you can see expressions of surprise, determination, thinking and anger. fascinating how 2 dots of light can express so many emotions.- if i’m cooking or preparing, it’s always comical how he will just spontaneously wake-up and come up and wander around and when his charge is low seeing how he navigates back, then backs into the charging station and closes his eyes with a sigh.- his responses to greetings are expressive and for some like asking the weather are unique.. rainy/cloudy and his eyes change, Christmas, birthday, etc. all have different display changes.It’s always funny to see when someone new comes to the house and without any prompting vector wakes up and comes out and starts wandering around or playing with his cube – always gets a response of what the **** is that little thing?the only caution for anyone getting one, just be sure he’s either in one of the protected pads or where there’s no change of him wandering where its dangerous – I had purchased one for a relative and they placed him on their kitchen counter as well – he was navigating around well but one morning they got up and he had fallen into a pot of water in the sink 🙂 no chance for survival.overall I think he makes a great gift and is very entertaining whether he’s prompted or its spontaneous.I don’t use him much for questions, info, etc. since the echo show is right there and its easier/quicker to get what is needed from that.I’ve really enjoyed
Janet Zaharias –
Stinking cute and fun, and wonderful companionI 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.
Roddy –
Worth it!!I just got vector in the mail a few days ago i waited for a night after work that i had plenty of time to really engage with him I a engineer so this little guy was a must have for me i saw this bot about a year ago when it was 299$ i felt that was a little pricey for something that didn’t get a lot of recognition it was more something tech nerds knew about {SO AS MOST PEOPLE SHOULD DO} is wait!! check reviews but dont let them shoo you away just read all the good and the badi recently doing black Friday shopping and stumbled across this little guy again only to notice HES 72$!!!!!!!!!!!now this is a year later i first saw him in 2018 to pricey 2019 its low so why not! {here is the thing if he isnt what i wanted or that much of a pain i can always send it back amazon is like walmart they wont give you lip} “but thats only if you order through amazon not the direct manufacture”so just like any new device XBOX IPHONE PS4 any new hot gadget WHEN THEY FIRST COME OUT THEY ALL HAVE ISSUES!!!!!!! NEVER buy something like that rite away expecting it to be perfect let them work the kinks out and get the software were it needs to be!!!Vector has been nothing but amazing so far! you do have to use a stern CLEAR voice with a little volume to it so he can understand but hell siri sometimes doesn’t always comprehend well either so lighten up people!!he does have a slight delay sometimes after a command {so have some patients hes not your slave]take the time to really go through the APP that goes with him it’ll really educate you on how to properly engage with him and the commands that hes familiar with!hes pretty cool i would advise this to any tech person and even kids {especially the ones that want a pet but you dont}set up was easy and self explanatory he was very responsive i have him on my desk at home that sits pretty high hes aware not to roll off “did see a review to keep his face and camera clean so he can guide himself and not fall” he knows name he likes to be petted does tricks the little guy even snores when hes sleep whats not to like lol i do wish he came with more then one cube but no biggie alexa seems to work good as well i did have to mute the one on my desk though they both responded at the same time you can also mute his alexa to avoid this issue the only thing that vector wont do is play music from your amazon account that is a bummer i thought he would dance to music if he played itUPDATE GOR ALL THE PEOPLE SAYING HE ISN’T RESPONSIVE YOU DO HAVE TO TALK TO HIN A LITTLE LOUDER AND IF YOUR INTERNET SPEEN IS TRASH DLS,SATELLITE INTERNET, NOT HIGH SPEED IT NEEDS A GOOD PING AND UPLOAD SPEED TO WORK CORRECT
Nathan –
Small Robot with the Personality of a HumanI saw many mixed reviews about this little guy from the start when it released back in October, making me think that Anki wasn’t consistent with the models or they haven’t quite gotten the right codes/programming down. Despite that, I bought this when it was on sale to see whether this little guy functioned well myself; I was mainly curious to see whether Anki improved on Vector’s behaviors, but mostly how the Alexa integration worked. Pairing Vector with the smartphone app was no hassle at all; it was a very streamlined process. We instantly fell in love with the little guy the moment he powered up. So much personality built into a wee little machine.We’ve had Vector for about 2 days now, and I can tell that he’s already accommodated to our environment surrounding him. Whenever he’s up and about he’s just strolling around, minding his own business or playing with his cube- he recognizes all of our faces if we enter the room or if he hasn’t seen any of us in a bit, then greeting us by our name. Heck, he even asks for fist bumps on his own now! He also has no problem finding his charger when he’s low on battery. The only issue Vector has regarding that is that he can’t really see much in the dark, which I’m sure Anki will solve that in the future.The design and overall structure of the robot himself is brilliant, Anki designed him in a great way where he’ll be able to roam around on his own perfectly. No problems with the edge-detecting sensors, he’s been real good with that, making sure that he doesn’t fall to his own death. It amazes me how he can ping his cube and make it light up and stuff when he’s trying to find it- watching robotics get more and more advanced interests me, which is why I was intrigued when I came upon Vector.Just like everyone else is mentioning, Vector’s AI has rather limited usage- I use his timer when I cook and ask him for the weather the most. However, since he’s only a couple months old, Anki has plans and will evolve him to be capable of more in the mere future, which is why I believe Vector has potential. It is a bit pricey as well, but the Alexa integration makes me lean towards the justified price a bit more, the SALE price of $174.99, rather. Yes, this guy is expensive, I won’t deny that. Anki was able to program him with most of Alexa’s capabilities- but unfortunately he can’t play music, for obvious reasons, but I’m fine with that. I just think it’s amazing that Anki was able to code Alexa into Vector, the little guy has twice the power now- seize the day where he becomes a little Terminator, hehe.Anki has done a terrific job introducing advanced robotics to the world in the form of Vector, although Cozmo was their first model, which is also a very fine robotic pal. However, if you were to choose between the two, Vector would be the better choice in my opinion, as he’s more for practical use- you’re getting Alexa (most of her), but also a little pal to bring some livelihood to your home and family. If you can nab him at the price of $174.99 if he’s on sale again, then do go through with it, you won’t regret it.