Watch this Intel-powered Segway transform into a robot butler

Segway introduced a new hoverboard that transforms into a robot at CES that can be programmed to do'just about anything. Find out more about Segway's open platform personal transporter robot here

Segway's robot transforms from hoverboard to robot with one tap Ninebot

Elliot Roberts | 09 January, 2016, 01:57

The robot can also process basic commands, speak, and even follow you around the house if that's your thing.

The robot is the result of a collaboration between Segway, Intel, and Xiaomi, a Chinese tech company. The company demonstrated Wednesday how the scooter can respond to voice commands while following closely behind you, recording video as it goes.

Intel, Segway and Xiaomi have teamed up to develop a hoverboard robot butler, complete with waving arms and facial expressions.

In terms of specifications, the Advanced Personal Robot has all the features of the Ninebot Segway released past year, including 800-watt double motors, a top speed of 18 km/h, and a maximum range of 30 km/h for a single trip. And this time, Intel took that technology a level up by introducing "you to the Yuneec Typhoon H drone and Segway robot with RealSense", he added.

Mika Ascalson rides a Segway MiniPRO at CES International, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016, in Las Vegas. The new self-balancing Ninebot Segway personal transportation robot.

The robot is powered by an Intel Atom processor and runs on Android with an open SDK.

Segway introduced a new hoverboard that transforms into a robot at CES that can be programmed to do'just about anything. Find out more about Segway's open platform personal transporter robot here
The Segway robot has a pair of attachable arms for fetching objects Ninebot

The Segway's robot hoverboard features Intel's RealSense camera technology, which combines three different cameras - a 1080p HD camera, an infrared camera, and an infrared laser projector - that act together as one depth-perceiving camera.

So, not only can this thing become a robot, but it can also be made smarter.

WowWee CHip: CHip is essentially a robot dog, and the name is an abbreviation for "Canine Home Intelligent Pet".

Segway has said it will make a developer kit available in the second half of 2016.

Then when demonstrators attach arms to the hoverboard robot, people get really excited.

It'll be interesting to see what the developers come up with - there's a lot of potential in the cameras and the screen, and speaking robots like this one have successfully been used help teach children with intellectual disabilities.