The First Robot For Your Home: Asus Reveals $599 Robot Tech That Does Everything


Asus recently announced their latest range of products, including a predictable new ultra-thin laptop, amongst a range of other pieces of tech. However, arguably their most intriguing reveal came in the form of a little robot for you home that does everything, which Asus have aptly named the Zenbo. According to the Verge, the Asus Zenbo is unlike anything you’ve seen before, essentially bringing a real-world fully functioning version of BB-8 from the Star Wars series into your home.

The Asus Zenbo was shown off on stage at Computex by the company’s chairman, Jonney Shih. He spoke about the Zenbo’s many key functions, describing the robot as a smart home manager, security guard, hands-free kitchen assistant, and family photographer, amongst many other things. It’s a product that Asus are clearly very excited about.

The Asus Zenbo [Image via Asus]
The Asus Zenbo [Image via Asus]
In terms of functionality, the Asus Zenbo appears to work in a similar manner to both Amazon Echo and Google Home. Both products were revealed recently as smart home devices, designed with a mind to integrate voice assistant technology into the home easily. However, where the Asus Zenbo sets itself apart is in terms of design, taking influence from Apple’s robotic-looking iMac G4, the Asus Zenbo is comprised of a base unit and adjoined screen that the user is able to interact with.

According to the Daily Mail, there’s reasoning behind Asus’ decision to incorporate a personality within their home assistant product. The Asus Zeno is designed to be used by every family member, with children and elderly relatives able to better interact with a product they can see has a personality of its own. That being said, Asus are still clearly targeting their product towards the same market as the Amazon Echo and Google Home, with the product set to come in at a pretty affordable price point of $599.


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That being said, there’s something about the Asus Zenbo that suggests it’s been designed with a dash of humor, too. From the footage of the product that Asus has shown so far, it appears to come coupled with a grating robot voice, something that the likes of Amazon and Google are trying to dispose of with their smart home products. What’s more, the general aesthetic of this product is quite clearly designed to stand out, quite the opposite to the seamless integration into the home that Amazon Echo and Google’s alternative are trying to provide.

Asus’ other big announcement from Computex was something a little less futuristic in the form of their new ZenBook 3, designed to rival Apple’s MacBook. The laptop has received widespread acclaim for its sleek design and specs that comfortably outperform Apple’s alternative.

Whilst Asus aren’t as much of a prominent name as the likes of Google, Apple, and Amazon within the tech industry, it certainly appears that they’re looking to do something about that. Whilst tech fans might choose to opt for the more sleek approach that Amazon and Google have taken in developing their smart home voice assistant technology, Asus may just have tapped into a market that’s looking to take advantage of such a product but needs an accessible and approachable alternative.

Robots built for use within the home are still a good distance away from cooking meals and doing the laundry. However, the likes of Asus, along with their competitors, are looking to bring some of the key functionality of robotic technology into the home and it won’t be all that long until they do.

[Image via Asus]

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