Here are the robots doing the virtual internship at CES 2021

This story is part of CES, where our editors will present the latest news and the hottest gadgets from CES 2021 entirely virtual.

This year’s all-digital CES will be difficult for everyone involved, but it can be even more difficult if you are a robot.

Robots can pique people’s interest through written words or videos, but there’s nothing like showing people what you can do in person to make a good first impression. And the robots you find at CES never fail to impress.

I’ve been thrilled with robots since I was a little girl, and if I could go back and tell myself about the interactions I had with robots on the Las Vegas show floor in recent years, these stories would blow my little mind. I played Ping-pong and Letters against humanity with robots, I have been pizza served by a, and last year at CES I met a snoring labrador dog robot that was so realistic that it made me want to take it home and love it like me my cat.

CES 2021 will be very different from previous years. With no opportunity to meet with viewers on the show floor due to the show being held only as a virtual event, all those robots ready to show the world what they can do will have to do it online. This does not mean that we are less excited to find out all about them – but the impact is mitigated by the fact that you are viewing their activities through a zoom feed on your monitor.

Here’s what to expect (keep checking back for new additions):

Robots to keep us safe

If 2020 taught us anything, it is that sanitation and hygiene are essential to keeping people safe. It also showed us that there may be jobs that are better for us to deliver to technology to help humans stay safe.

With the COVID-19 pandemic still raging around the world, it’s no surprise that this year at CES several companies are planning to show robots that can sanitize surfaces.

One of these androids is the Coro-Bot, a “antivirus disinfection robot” created by Hills Engineering in South Korea. The robot has autonomous steering capabilities, allowing it to move independently through environments. It uses its flexible arms to identify the areas that need cleaning and sterilizes them with ultraviolet. It also contains an air circulator that claims to kill airborne coronaviruses and other viruses using a far-infrared ceramic filter. It is easy to imagine robots like these being used in hospitals and other environments where it is essential to ensure that there are no signs of coronavirus.

LG has been working on a similar robot, which it plans to reveal at CES, which radiates ultraviolet light to disinfect areas of high contact and heavy traffic. Again, the robot can move autonomously, navigating around the furniture to clean the entire room. It is designed for hospitality, education, corporate, retail and restaurant environments, as well as transportation

“Whether they are hotel guests, students in classrooms or customers of restaurants and other companies, they can be sure that the LG standalone ultraviolet robot will help reduce their exposure to harmful bacteria and germs,” ​​Michael Kosla, vice president of LG Business Solutions USA said in a statement.

Like LG, Ubtech is a company that swings up to CES every year with new robots to show, and it will bring its own cleaning robot to this year’s show. The Adibot robotic system includes two robots – the largest Adibot-A and the smallest mobile Adibot-S – that use UV to disinfect surfaces. Ubtech has already announced the price of the two droids, which cost $ 40,000 and $ 20,000, respectively.

Robots to entertain and educate

If you’re looking at the world of robotics, you might have spied on Moxie last year. This friendly-faced blue-green robot made by startup Embodied was recently announced as one of Time’s best inventions in 2020. In addition, it was listed as Honored at the CES 2021 Innovation Award.

These companion robots help children develop social, emotional and cognitive skills through daily play-based learning and the delivery of educational content. Better yet, it was built with input from educators and child development experts, and Embodied spoke openly about taking safety very seriously. If you’ve been struggling to study at home at a young age this year, Moxie may be just what you’re looking for to lend a hand.

From Japan, Yukai Engineering always brings fun to CES with its beautiful home robots – one of which is notoriously a cushion with a robotic tail. This year, at the show, the company is presenting Petit Qoobo, an identical but smaller brother of its animated model, along with an updated version of its Bocco Emo emotional housemate robot.

Vanguard Industries will also be present from Japan, and we have great hopes that the company will take the opportunity to introduce its adorable AI pet robot, Moflin, to the world.

Like a kind of gray guinea pig, this is the closest thing we’ve seen to a robot that looks suitable for any newborn or older (it’s small, with a piece of really soft ground going on). Each Moflin develops an individual personality over time and can express emotions through movements and sounds. This is a robot that we are really sad to not meet in person.

Robots that take the manual out of manual labor

One of the biggest names in agriculture, John Deere has been a major presence in recent years at CES, bringing its iconic and attractive green machinery to the exhibition floor. This year, the company received the CES Innovation Award for the robotic features of its X Series harvesters. With cameras that allow farmers to see directly inside grain tanks, computer vision, autonomous steering capabilities and machine-to-machine communication in field, the X Series should be among the biggest robots ever conquered. The company is already giving select reporters a virtual experience from your CES goods.

Another robot designed to support those who work outdoors is Daesung’s Hive Controller. This robot is all about extracting honey, removing the honeycomb from a hive – usually a lengthy process carried out by two to five qualified individuals – in about a minute. With bees at risk and honey reaching superfood status, any robot that helps the honey industry to thrive will be welcomed by us.