When Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix) fell in love (rather deeply) with an operating system equipped with artificial intelligence called Samantha (Scarlett Johansson ) in the film Her, we all wondered, is this really possible? Can a computer become so capable that it mimics complexity of feelings and emotions outpoured by humans?
Well, this fictional tale might make its way into reality, thanks to hardware startup Notion Ink. But only this time Samantha won’t be your next crush, she will be in fact designed to be a motherly figure. Yeah, we know.
Baptized as ‘Eve’, Notion Ink says that the artificially intelligent robot will be ‘taking care of your every single need’. To be precise, Eve is a spherical robot to be launched in 2018, by the Bengaluru-based hardware firm, majorly known for its affordable tablets.
The users would be able to converse with the robot, share their deepest emotions, without worrying about the world getting to know about it.
On technical fronts, Eve will allow you to create applications — without having to write them — while you have a chat with a motherly voice.
Privacy, talking to computers without coding – these are the beautiful problems that we have to solve.
stated Shravan, founder of Notion Ink in an interview with Economic Times.
While Her predicated an operating system, Eve will be somewhat different in the sense that she will have a 360 degree vision aided by multiple cameras and will have the ability to log the life of its owner for a year — not to mention that all this will be held in utmost secrecy. Its makers are also looking at the possibility of movement – brace yourself – and an ability to fly; yeah! like Weebo in the film Flubber.
Shravan also aspires to incorporate within the robot, a self-charging mechanism, giving it a flying time of 15 minutes. When Eve is not hovering around your head or flying alongside you, its rotors and other peripheral devices will collapse into a sphere.
The makers are also looking at its application in classroom scenarios to assist students. Eve will have the capability to monitor up to 40 tablets being used by students while taking a test. Educational benefits has been one of the focal points in all of Notion Inks products.
While Eve sounds as if flying completely out of science-fiction, Microsoft, which had previously backed Notion Ink, has expressed its interest in this ingenious idea. Moreover, this could well be India’s first venture into the field of robotics and core artificial intelligence.
Founded in 2009, Notion Ink is known for its Cain series of tablets. Cain was designed to make things easier on the go, with a possibility to replace the tap top. Cain provides access to 700,000 applications while on the move. And while Cain garnered decent sales, the 2011-launched Android powered Adam was not so well received. Due to delay in shipping problems, confusions over specifics of the device, and lack of customer support, Adam failed to generate the following that its makers hoped for.
But with Eve, Notion Ink plans to create the buzz that it has always eyed for. Let’s keep a watch for 2018, and see if we all fall in love with (Samantha) Eve.
FEATURED IMAGE : WIKIPEDIA // For reference only
