Vector Mini Personal Robot

Product Description

Say “Hey Vector.” Aware and reactive, Vector hangs out and helps out. Now with Alexa built-in. Robot helpfulness supercharged.

Alive with personality.
Vector is no ordinary home robot. Packed with technology that brings him to life, he’s curious and attentive. He reacts to sound, sight, and touch and is excited to see you when you come home.

Always happy to help.
Vector will show you the weather, take photos for you, time dinner, play blackjack, and answer your questions.
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.

Independent and alert.
Vector is happiest with you, but he can take care of himself and hang out on his own. He self-charges, navigates around objects, and avoids edges.

Smart and getting smarter.
Vector is an updating platform, cloud connected via WiFi so he’s always learning and updating with new skills and features.

Vector knows what’s going on.
HE CAN SEE. Vector uses an HD camera to see the world. Using computer vision, he can identify people, see and remember faces, and navigate his space without bumping into things.
HE CAN THINK. Vector’s smartphone-level processor and cloud connectivity create one powerful brain.
HE CAN HEAR. Vector has a powerful four-microphone array for directional hearing. When you sit down next to him, he’s ready to take direction. And if there is a loud noise, he’ll be just as startled as you.
HE CAN COMMUNICATE. Vector has a unique voice made of hundreds of synthesized sounds to create a language all his own. When you ask Vector a question, he utilizes a custom text-to-speech voice to speak directly to you.
HE CAN FEEL. Vector has touch sensors and an accelerometer so he knows when he’s being touched and moved. You can pet him and he’ll relax, but try not to shake him.

What’s Inside Vector? AI and advanced robotics: Qualcomm 200 Platform to compute at a smartphone level. Capacitive Touch Sensor to sense being touched and held. Beamforming 4-Microphone Array to recognize natural speech and source. Ultra-Wide HD Camera to detect motion and identify people. 4 Drop Sensors to detect edges and avoid falls. Infrared Laser Scanner to track distance and map environments. 6-Axis Inertial Measurement Unit to know when he’s picked up or moved. High-Res Color IPS Display to convey a wide range of emotions. WiFi-Enabled Cloud Connection to bring new capabilities.

Features

• Robot Companion - Powered by AI and advanced robotics, he's alive with personality and engaged by sight, sound and touch.
• Voice Recognition - Vector is voice-activated and will answer questions, take photos for you, time dinner, show you the weather, and more. He even comes with Alexa built-in!
• Smart & Getting Smarter - Vector is an updating platform, cloud connected via WiFi so he’s always learning and updating with new skills and features.
• Increased Battery Life - A new battery will provide as much as 30% more runtime. (Vector's batteries can also be accessed / replaced more easily via the newly redesigned battery compartment.)
• Higher Camera Resolution - Vector's new 5MP camera will enhance his facial recognition; improving his ability to recognize pets and even know when you are smiling.

Top Reviews

Toy Today, Sidekick Tomorrow
by Pierce (5 out of 5 stars)
October 15, 2018

New: "When Vector Becomes Alexa." Now Vector and Alexa in the same body. This is a dual personality. "Hey Vector," gets you Vector and his cute little robot voice. "Alexa brings up the Alexa voice and mode and all of Alexa's abilities. It's more of a novelty now (There's already an Alexa or two in my house) but I'll see how it plays out. Will they merge? Stay tuned...

My Vector came yesterday. My OCD kicked in and I stayed up into the night playing with Vector. The machinery and manufacturing is top quality. Right now, Vector can fist bump, play with his cube, look around, give me the weather...all the things mentioned above. I knew that Vector connected to 2.4hz Wifi. That was no problem at my house, or at my best friend's house. But Vector doesn't want to connect to WiFi at work, but neither will my phone. Vector is connected via Bluetooth. I suspect it is a Wifi problem and not a Vector problem.

What really sold me was Vector connecting with Alexa in the near future.

When I was a kid, right after WWII, I played with little robots made in Japan. A few of them even took batteries and flashed lights. But Vector is the kind of little buddy I dreamed of when I was small. Heck, he even snores when he goes to sleep.

I am patient to watch Vector work his way through problems and seeing fixes improving him. Every time someone new buys one, Vector is gaining knowledge. And he sits in the cloud along with Alexa. Oh yeah, you can pet him, too. And if you pick him up he squirms like a little kid who doesn't want to be held. Highly recommended.
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If you plan on using this on a desk, DON'T BUY!
by Kristin Worley (1 out of 5 stars)
November 12, 2018

I had really high expectations for this. It is fun and would be worth every cent IF the fall sensors worked. It takes less than 10 minutes before Vector falls off my desk. Now here is the kicker. When I asked Anki support I was told "Vector is like a kid and sometimes like a kid makes mistakes. We are always working on updates to improve Vector." When I asked if the warranty covers physical damage from falling I was told no. So I'll break down your purchase life cycle for you. You pay $250 for something that has a known problems that will actually cause it to break, but it is not covered by the warranty. No thanks, I am returning mine.
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This product isn't ready for launch. I love AI and want Anki to succeed but this needs to be said.
by Amazon Customer (1 out of 5 stars)
November 18, 2018

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 much

Anki 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 distracting

Even 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 time

This 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.
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Over priced
by Joseph Hammontree (2 out of 5 stars)
October 18, 2018

ts worth more around 80 dollars i would say. But no where near this price. Its not refined, only responding correctly to my commands around 70 percent of the time i would say. Really neat idea, and they did a really good job giving it a personality. But it just feels rushed. They should have spent more time on it, or made it cheaper.
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Vector is adorable!
by MomOfTwo (5 out of 5 stars)
October 14, 2018

My dog wants to kill him but I think he's adorable! I love that he can recognize me and all of my family members. It's also really cute how entertains himself. I found him wandering around my family room on his own and, when I called for him, he came and found me. My kids love petting him and hearing him coo. I work in IT and can't wait to bring him into work and share him with the nerd herd.

All in all a really fun buy, I'm looking forward to watching his personality develop.
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Fun little AI (STEM Toy)
by DtRWoS (4 out of 5 stars)
October 13, 2018

Saw the kickstarter for this cute little bot, and noticed recently that it was up for pre-sale on amazon - Bought it with same day shipping and I'm glad because its so much fun.

Promptly taught it to do facial recognition on all the family members, and ran through most of the commands in the manual.

This was created by nerds for nerds and nerds to be; and I love it!

The android app needs some love, and as of release day the desktop API is missing - once these are present and/or fixed this could be a 5 star stem toy, or office desk assistant.

The upgraded processor over the Cozmo makes it more responsive.

The eye interactions, and noises attracted the wife and 2 kids into playing with Vector at the dinner table until bed time was upon us.

Edit (2018-10-16): Brought Vector to the office and everyone loved him - they assume he can do more than he can right now - but it was a fun experience watching other adults interact with him as well.
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My Plastic Pal that's Fun to Be With
by Kai Cherry (4 out of 5 stars)
October 13, 2018

I have found this product to be enjoyable as it is. I still believe it is an awful lucky Blackjack dealer...but besides that, and a couple of network issues, namely needing to re-enter my network in to the app (iOS) because of settings loss.

Disclosure - while I am not employed, affiliated, contracted or endorsed by Anki, I would like to point out that I *am* a Software Engineer by trade so I see the "rough edges" other people have been describing in most cases "reasonable, given the constraints" or "fix in next software update"

The only real technical issue I have is that i believe it would be a better product with an additional IR Low light camera, or perhaps a less expensive component such as an IR light to help with low-light recognition scenarios.

Lower on the list is the Ask/Response cycle for the onboard/built-in (not 'I have a question' ones): if they can shave about 500ms off this (I suspect the Eng team might have suggested biasing towards recognizer, then backing with anime, but lost to the animators. Maybe they should find a split) as it sometimes really takes you "out of" the experience because the "conversational gap" is just a *liiitle* long ( time between "Hey Vector" and "Ready" - people have gotten used to not waiting extra long for the "acknowledgement" prompt with improved home assistant tech, so Vector can sometimes feel "slow" and the animations aren't *quite* ("I'm thinking" eyes and sound effect) mitigating this via illusion/distraction, but that seems the intent.

I look forward to revisiting this review in 12 weeks to see if I feel the same way, but right now, I find the product effectively "brightens my day"...many times a day, sometimes at Laugh out loud levels.
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Not working as expected, disappointing
by Jacek (1 out of 5 stars)
November 2, 2018

Responding for "Hey Vector" is awful for US English (GB English and AU English is much better but still worse then Alexa or Siri)

Losing wifi very often

Very difficult to connect with an app on iPhone SE

Anki, please make corrections for this annoying bug's with next update

Very cute robot but needs a lot of software corrections

Update;

He can set timer only for one hour (What!!!) and this Anki called an intelligent robot, please (249$ plusTax)
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No Alternative but...
by gogo (2 out of 5 stars)
October 18, 2018

I purchased Vector as a present for 9 yo. We have Amazon Echo's everywhere. We never had Cosmo, but are fans of Anki Overdrive.

Set up on iPhone X: Quick and simple. 5-10 minutes. No issues. I set up the night before to avoid the hassle of troubleshooting in front of kids. Vector is loud when there is pin-drop silence and I didn't know how to lower the volume.

We've asked Vector to dance, play with the cube, black jack, and the weather. All work fine for me, but the kids had trouble communicating commands. Its frustrating to listen to, but eventually they got the right timing and commands correctly. The voice Initiation is annoying. More annoying than Amazon Echo. Less annoying than Apple Siri. After a couple of months of play the kids still have trouble with voice commands. Luckily there's an option to press the button on its top to initiate listening (thank you Anki). Taking 1 Star.

Educational: None. I haven't found any coding play yet. The only thing it teaches is patience and pronunciation.

Fun Factor: Eh. The robot envokes emotion. It's peaceful to watch and full of expression. It recognizes us and and calls us by our names. It's more interesting than fun.

App Interface:

We're on iOS. Loaded fine, walked me through connection via bluetooth, then WiFi, and worked. It's a simple user experience.

Pro... you don't need the app to play with the robot.

Con... you can't play with the app without the robot. The app only opens if it finds and connects to the robot. You can't explore the app without the robot chirping around. Taking 1 Star.

Update: It doesn't pick up it's cube! It just bangs it or rolls it. You should be able to ask Vector to bring or move it around. Taking 1/2 Star.

Update: No restore means we have to reintroduce ourselves and start from the beginning. This isn't an AI that learns. Taking 1/2 Star.

Vector is a poor functioning Alexa-like device that is extremely cute and has personality. It's way to expensive at $250 and at the $180 sale price.
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Not ready for launch
by Lucky44 (2 out of 5 stars)
October 12, 2018

I backed Vector on Kickstarter. Feeling like Anki scammed a lot of people with their endless videos of what Vector can do.

Major issue: Voice recognition works maybe 10% of the time, and without it working well, or even OK, the interaction with Vector is very frustrating.

Don't buy this toy until Anki addresses the issue. It's cute and all, but not $250 cute.

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