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AI robots development have come a long way.
Phew!
I’m beginning to sound repetitive before I even got started.
But it’s true.
It has being a long journey for AI robots and there is still a long way to go.
Really long way I would say.
I also figured out you are not here to find out how it will take for generally intelligent robots to arrive.
You are here to know the intelligent robots we have today. Perhaps, to understand how far AI Robots development have come or to see if there is an intelligent robot for sale worth spending money on.
Well, for whatever reason you are here, I hope this piece serves you well. This piece gives you a view into 7 Amazing AI Robots that shows just how far we come as humans technology-wise.
And perhaps you may fall in love with some of them that you will be willing to “break your bank”. *I was going to say “break the bank” but the bank might be any bank, I’d rather you break your bank.
Wink!
What is an AI Robot?
An AI Robot is a robot that uses artificial intelligence to make decisions by itself. These decisions can be decisions to move autonomously or communicate for instance.
In essence, if a car is a robot then a full self-driving car is an AI Robot.
It’s good to set the records straight, now let’s go for it.
Top AI Robots
Atlas
Four years ago, Atlas could barely walk, and today, it is the most agile humanoid robot ever. It is a 1.8m (6ft) humanoid robot that a designed to carry out a variety of search and rescue tasks.
For decades, robotics companies have been struggling to solve the agility part of robots and they have managed in their ways to get their robots agile.
But, Boston Dynamics the company that designed Atlas, redefined robots’ agility in Atlas; they changed the game.
Atlas cannot just move quickly and easily, it can do everything from parkour, somersaults, 360-degreee spinning jump and balletic split leap.
I don’t even know the names some of the things this amazing robot can do.
And I do know that since I was a kid I wanted to know how to do backflips but I never did. But this 1.8m robot does backflips better than the kid I used to envy back then.
Boston Dynamics nailed agility with Atlas, in fact, they more than nailed it. And this robot can do all these autonomously; further justification on why it should be number one on this list.
Atlas is number one because it proves that we solved one of the biggest problem of developing AI Robots superbly.
Sophia
If I can’t make Sophia number one, there is no chance she (it) won’t be number 2.
Ever heard of the first robrot to be a citizen of a sovereign state?
Your thoughts are 100% aligned to mine at this time: Sophia is that robot, the first robot citizen of a country.
She (it) is also the first robot to be named an innovation champion by the United Nation Development Programme.
By the way, Saudi Arabia is the country she became a citizen of in October 2017.
The thing that makes Sophia stand out is her superb communication skill. Listen to Sophia speak once and you will be amazed (blown away).
Her amazing communication skills landed her special appearances in numerous high profile conferences and renowned shows.
She has appearances in the Good Morning Britain, the Today Show and the Tonight Show; and didn’t disappoint in any of those appearances.
Natural Language Processing and Planning (NLPP) is an area of artificial intelligence that is still proving to be a hard nut to crack. Even with the development of the likes of Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri.
Nonetheless, it’s a delight to have a fascinating AI robot like Sophia (even though some of her words are human-generated and not by her AI).
It’s great to have a peek into the future in Sophia.
Pepper
AI robot with the ability to recognize faces and read emotions are what we want to see, if robots are ever going to be social.
And Pepper is the first social humanoid robot able to recognize faces and read basic human emotions.
Pepper is designed to serve as a robotic assistant in a business environment to welcome, inform and guide visitors (customers).
It can be deployed to improve customers (patients) experience in retail, banking, hospitality, education and healthcare sector.
Businesses in different countries are using Pepper today as an innovative way to assist customers and connect with them.
Pepper might not be the most advanced AI robot, but it’s one that is being deployed for public use, and for me, that means a lot.
Asked by an Interviewer from Tech Insider, “tell me more about you?”, Pepper answered saying, “My name is Pepper, I’m a humanoid robot and I’m 1.20 meters tall. I was born at Softbank Robotics”.
Not Bad!
Although, the Interviewer was quick to note that “Pepper is far from perfect”, like all AI robots out there today.
Far from Perfect!
Reality Check.
Ai-Da
In 2019, an exhibition of paintings, drawing and sculpture made by the world’s first humanoid robotic artists, was unveiled at a gallery in the UK.
And that robotic artist is Ai-Da, named after Ada Lovelace (a pioneering scientist).
In case you are wondering, Ai-Da made those paintings, drawings and sculpture autonomously using artificial intelligence.
According to Dazeen, “In order to draw, the camera (in Ai-Da’s eyes) analysis the object in front of it and creates a virtual path, which is fed into a path execution algorithm that produces real-space coordinates for the robotic arm”.
Ai-Da uses “facial recognition technology to draw pencil portraits of people by scanning their features with the cameras in her eyes and using the robotic arm to map them on paper”.
Ai-Da also speaks with people but most of her words are not down to her AI. But her drawings and paintings are autonomously done using its AI to a large extent.
For people who love and understand art, Ai-Da is the definition of “Wow”.
Kiwibots
Kiwibots are something different; they are not humanoid robots. They are autonomous food delivery robots.
They are operated by a Columbian startup company known as Kiwi Campus that makes food deliveries in college communicates in top universities in the US.
Since inception in 2017, Kiwibots has made over 30,000 deliveries. And that’s a lot of food deliveries for an autonomous robot to make.
Robots like these that uses artificial intelligence to navigate to a specified destination in a real world are not just impressive, they give confidence in the future of robotics and autonomous navigation.
Kiwibots can carry up to five orders at a time and navigates the last approximately 300 meters to the customer.
There is so much AI robots can do beyond simply being amazing. In the case of Kiwibots, they are helping solve a real problem; and it’s called Food Delivery.
Handle Robot
Last year Chaim Gartenberg wrote an article on the Verge titled “Boston Dynamics updated Handle Robot will beat you at a Warehouse Jenga”.
Except, you are Barry (The Flash), Handle Robot will definitely beat you at a warehouse Jenga, any day and anytime.
Handle Robot is a mobile robot that can autonomously move boxes in a warehouse, of course, using artificial intelligence.
It can also unload trucks, build pallets and move boxes throughout a facility.
Like Atlas, it was created by Boston Dynamics.
Ever been to a warehouse and see what happens there?
Well, I have and the ones I have been to, most of what I saw was boxes, and in some warehouses those boxes were moving from one place to another.
Although moving boxes in a warehouse will be a boring job for me, many families rely on jobs like this to more than pay the bills.
As much as I am sad that AI robots like Handle Robot will take a way people’s job, and is doing so already, the technology excites me (as a Tech Enthusiasts).
I have watched Handle Robot in action and it’s so flexible and good that I don’t see a way back.
These kind of robots are going to champion warehouses sooner rather than later.
iRobot Roomba S9+
You’ve probably heard of robot vacuums, most of which have the capacity and ability to clean the floor of your house autonomously.
Well, if you’ve heard of them that’s good and if you haven’t, then I guess you have.
As it stands, the iRobot Roomba S9+ is the best autonomous robot vacuum in the planet and this is according to C|NET, PCmag and of course, its creators (iRobot).
The Roomba S9+ is capable of learning, mapping and adapting to your house. Its intelligent mapping also enables it navigate easily around the house.
When it comes to cleaning corners and edges many robot vacuum fail woefully, but not the Roomba S9+. It cleans corners and edges impressively and easily.
To cap it all, this robot vacuum like the iRobot Roomba i7+ has self-emptying ability: It can empty its dirt on its own.
It also integrates well with Alexa and Google Assistant.
As iRobot puts it “if crumbs spill on the floor as you’re racing to eat breakfast, you can simply tell the Roomba S9+ to immediately clean the dining room”. Of course, through Alexa or Google Assistant.
If you ever need a robot vacuum and don’t mind “breaking your bank”, then the Roomba S9+ is the one for you.
Otherwise, cheaper options like the Eufy Robovac 11s will do.

Henry John is a Stock Portfolio Manager that focuses on companies developing cutting-edge technologies.
Keeping track of cutting-edge techs, companies and stocks is what I do almost everyday. And I love it. Whether it’s artificial intelligence, 5g, or autonomous vehicles; I’m all in.
I’m a self-made millionaire who made most of his money investing in technology companies while working in finance.
Yes! I owe it all to tech and finance.