Robotics

This Will Be Your Next Home Robot

Do This See This Buy This is a SteveFeyer.com feature about great products and services for marketers

Most of us were introduced to robots through the movies. But real robots don’t look and act like people, walking and speaking naturally. For the foreseeable future, the best a robot can do is do one thing well.

Which is why I was excited to learn that one of my favorite robotic technologies is finally coming to market, and will forever get rid of one of those annoying home tasks.

Foldimate is a robot that practically markets itselfFoldimate is a patented technology that folds your dry laundry, eliminating forever the hassle of folding clothes. It is a self-contained machine with roughly the same form factor as your existing washer and dryer.

I first had the pleasure of meeting Foldimate inventor and CEO Gal Rozov in 2013. I’ve seen dozens of novel consumer and commercial robotics ideas since then, yet Foldimate remains one of my favorites. I am thrilled to see Gal’s vision coming to market, and I think it will meet with well-deserved success.

You can now reserve a Foldimate for your home. So make space in your laundry room – your Roomba is getting a friend.

Product image courtesy of Foldimate

Do This, See This, Buy This: Anki OVERDRIVE

Do This See This Buy This is a SteveFeyer.com feature about great products and services for marketers

Some marketing phrases become so overused they lose all meaning. Yet when I say that Anki OVERDRIVE is “the future of entertainment”, it’s no exaggeration. OVERDRIVE is the future made real.

Anki OverdriveAnki uses the kind of technology that might drive full-size cars in 2050 to make, simply, the best toy you’ll see this year. And it goes on sale today.

OVERDRIVE is the culmination of years of research in robotics and artificial intelligence. It combines the best elements of slot car racing and video games into one package. I’ve seen 5-year-olds and 50-year-olds enjoy Anki’s first product, Anki Drive, so I have no doubt this toy will appeal to everyone in the family.

There are a lot of reviews already that include gameplay details and visuals. My favorite so far comes from Forbes.

Anki Overdrive Thermo racecarOVERDRIVE is being compared to other physical-to-virtual concepts like Skylanders, but in reality there’s no comparison. Most other toys use the physical element as a gimmick. At Anki, the real and the onscreen are intimately and seamlessly connected. You’re not just plugging in a hunk of plastic. With OVERDRIVE, you are battle racing with real robots.

Like last year, when Anki Drive was widely sold out in December, I expect OVERDRIVE will be the hit toy of the holiday season. If you want to make sure you have one under the tree, you’d best buy it now. But good luck keeping it under wraps for three months.

This is the year of the future, so take the money you were saving for a hoverboard and get Anki OVERDRIVE instead.

Buy OVERDRIVE.

Anki Overdrive action

Product images courtesy of Anki.

Disclaimer: I used to work at Anki.