The creators of Romo, a small robot that uses an iOS device as its brain, are returning to Kickstarter to create a new, more powerful device. If you've always wanted a robot around the house, this could be the one for you.
The original Romo quickly blew past its $32,000 goal on Kickstarter, amassing $114,796 in support of the idea. After hand-assembling and shipping about 2000 of the robots, Las Vegas-based Romotive decided to improve the design and add features.
The first Romo was more of a sophisticated toy, capable of being controlled by an iOS device or PC that would show live video of its field of view. The new one, in addition to being faster and better built, will add two major features: Computer vision, which will allow Romo to recognize faces and objects and navigate autonomously, and two-way telepresence, so you can video chat through it.
Of course, developing these things costs money, so Romotive is back on Kickstarter hoping to raise another $100,000. Their chances look good: After just a day, they've already raised more than half of that.
You can pledge $150 to receive a new Romo should the project pass its funding goal, though of course you may also pledge more or less according to your desire. The campaign will go through Nov. 15, and devices are scheduled to ship in early 2013.
Devin Coldewey is a contributing writer for NBC News Digital. His personal website is coldewey.cc.
