Here's A Chinese Robot That Sees & Hears Everything. You'll Surely Want A Friend Like It.

Parents can also remotely talk to and monitor the children through the iPal, which is linked to a smartphone app that allows them to see and hear everything. “The idea for this robot is to be a companion for children,” said Tingyu Huang, co-founder of AvatarMind Robot Technology. “When a child sees it, he or she will think of the robot as a friend, as another child in the family". 

1. iPal social robots, designed by AvatarMind, are seen at an assembly plant in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, China. 

2. It speaks two languages, gives math lessons, tells jokes and interacts with children through the tablet screen in its chest — China’s latest robot is the babysitter every parent needs.

3. The “iPal” was among a slew of new tech unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show Asia in Shanghai this week, offering education and company for lonely children and peace of mind for adults.

4. iPal social 3.5-feet tall humanoid robots come in two genders and can tell stories. 

5.The humanoid device stands as tall as a five-year-old, moves and dances on wheels and its eyes keep track of its charges through facial recognition technology.

6. An iPal couple social robot help teach children at a kindergarten in Suzhou.

7. The company hopes that when a child sees the iPal it considers it to be a part of the family

8. The price tag of 9,000 yuan ($1,400) has not dampened interest from buyers watching a performance of several iPals dancing in unison.

9. China’s young working parents often face the burden of taking care of children or elders without help from a large extended family, as the impact of the country’s decades-long one-child policy lingers. 

      

10. The limit was raised to two children in 2016.

11. The iPal is the latest humanoid robot to be marketed for family use, following in the footsteps of the diminutive, wisecracking "Pepper" companion released by Japan's SoftBank in 2015.

12. Does it mean that robots now can replace teachers and parents? Tingyu Huang, co-founder of AvatarMind Robots Technology, the maker of iPal doesn’t think so.

13. "I don't think the robots can replace parents or teachers," Huang told AFP. "But iPal can be a complementary tool to relieve some of their burdens."

14. iPal can be a complementary tool to relieve some of their burden.