Embodied AI

Chatbots handle words. Embodied AI takes similar software and puts it in a body with cameras, microphones, wheels or legs.

The hospital desk robot is a simple example. The same assistant exists as a phone app, but in the lobby it stands up, hears a question out loud, turns its head and points at a corridor.

The hard part is not the talking. It is dealing with a noisy, crowded, unpredictable room without bumping into anyone.