While humanoid robots are still competing for "long legs" and "hard muscles", a "unordinary" contestant has become popular with a "cute face" and a set of "personal designs". It is Mirokaï, a new species created by Pepper and NAO creator Jérôme Monceaux. This robot, priced at $30,000, not only won the "most popular" championship at the CES exhibition for two consecutive years, but also allowed Nvidia CEO Huang Renxun to stop for it. What is its unique charm?
Mirokaï’s uniqueness comes first from its unconventional “Alien” setting. They claim to be the Mirokaï tribe from distant galaxies, with mysterious magic and cutting-edge technology. In order to help the earthlings get rid of trivial daily life, the Mirokaï sisters projected consciousness on the earth and descended to the earth with the body of a machine.
A 3D face produced by top animation company Gaumont has become Mirokaï's most eye-catching sign. Driven by Nvidia GPU in real time, this face seems to be given life, with various expressions appearing on the "screen", and then projected through special technology, presenting a sci-fi holographic suspension effect. Paired with a pair of agile fox ears, Mirokaï instantly transformed from a cold machine into a lively "electronic pet". No wonder some people jokingly call it "breaking the dimension" of the game character.
In order to better integrate into the human world, Mirokaï also has a lot of effort in body design. The height of 1.3 meters is deliberately close to the child's perspective, eliminating the pressure of adult size; the weight of 30 kilograms is light and flexible, making it easy to move; the flexible neck design allows it to interact with people naturally and convey emotions. Founder Monceaux believes that giving robots "soul" and "story" is a key step in building human-machine trust. As it turns out, Mirokaï's "cute character" strategy was a great success, waving his hands, interacting with fists, listening with his ears... Every subtle action made Mirokaï exude a unique "personal charm", which is difficult for traditional humanoid robots to reach.
Of course, Mirokaï is by no means an "embroidered pillow". Behind the $30,000 price is its powerful practical value. In a hospital in France, Mirokaï transformed into a "little expert in delivering medicine", which relieved the nurses' hardships; in children's hospitals and dental clinics in the United States, Mirokaï transformed into a "baby-coaxing tool" and used "cute power" to soothe the child's emotions. Mirokaï is equipped with generative AI, which can "see all directions when you're looking at each other, and listen to all directions when you're in real time, and can adapt to various tasks independently without cumbersome programming. Its special "dexterous hands" and special handles achieve a crawling success rate of up to 97%, far exceeding the industry average. Whether it is a delivery pallet or a handling tool box, Mirokaï can handle it easily. The unique spherical sport chassis allows it to move flexibly at 360 degrees, and can be easily pushed away even if it hinders passage. In addition to the medical field, hotels, restaurants, airports, shopping malls and other service venues have also become a potential stage for Mirokaï.
As the "direct descendant" of humanoid robots NAO and Pepper, Mirokaï shoulders the mission of "practical" the family. Founder Monceaux hopes that Mirokaï will not only be "extremely good-looking", but also "capable" and become a "right assistant" who truly integrates into people's daily lives. Despite its high price, Mirokaï still gained market recognition, with continuous orders and is moving towards the goal of producing 200 units per year. Can this "alien cute pet" robot that combines "cute" and "use" launch a new revolution in the field of humanoid robots? Let's wait and see.
