As part of its AI outreach activities, the Metanúmeros team set a goal of creating a mobile chatbot prototype. In other words, to build a robot that can communicate using artificial intelligence, speak in a friendly manner, have a physical body, and be easy to transport.
Why do it?
This was an initial question, since it is already easy to use chatbots through web browsers and mobile phones. In addition, voice assistants can be readily purchased through e-commerce platforms. It is not a new concept, so why build one?
From a learning perspective, talking about artificial intelligence can be very conceptual and abstract, it takes time to digest ideas. A robot, on the other hand, is visual and concrete, easy to remember, and can invite conversation about AI by being a physical example of it without getting into complex concepts.
From a marketing perspective, seeing a talking robot is novel, attracts public attention, and encourages interaction, especially if the robot can respond directly to people.
From a technical perspective, building a robot demonstrates STEM skills by integrating several complex disciplines into a single project, generating interest in learning and studying these fields.
Applied sciences in the robot
AI (Artificial Intelligence): To talk to a robot, you need technology capable of recognizing audio and generating audio. The new LLMs allow real-time processing of speech and generate speech as a response. This is a derivative of Speech-to-text or STT models that recognize audio waves and transform them into text using artificial neural networks.
IoT (Internet of Things): The Internet of Things, in its wide range of options, uses small computers connected to the network to provide intelligent behaviors. It is widely used in home automation, sensors, robotics, and vehicles. In the case of the robot, it serves as a host for a local AI and gives the opportunity to connect with external sources of information.
3D Printer: Creating a body for a robot is something that decades ago could only happen in advanced factories. Today, access to 3D printers for prototypes accelerates opportunities for innovation. Using 3D modeling tools, housings and bodies are created to support electronics and isolate them from external elements. This is how the body of the chatbot was created.
Metanumi greets you
After several cycles of development and integration, a friendly robot was born. It can greet the public, express statuses with emoticons, answer questions with AI and even give likes with a virtual thumbs up. When accompanied by a battery, it can go for a walk carried by tool vest.
Here is a greeting from the robot and part of its interactions.
