Here are the robots taking place at CES 2021 on the virtual stage

This story is part of CES, where our editors will bring you the latest news and the most popular articles from the all-virtual CES 2021.

This year’s digital CES is going to be tough for everyone involved, but it can be even harder if you’re a robot.

Robots can pique people’s interest through the written word or videos, but there is nothing like showing people what you can do personally to make a good first impression. And the robots you meet at CES never succeed in impressing.

Since my little daughter, I have been very fond of robots, and if I could tell my younger self about the interaction I had with robots on the Las Vegas show floor over the past few years, the stories would blow my little mind. I played table tennis and Maps against humanity with robots, I was already serve pizza by one, and last year at CES I met a snoring Labrador puppy robot that was so realistic that it made me take home and like it as I my cat.

CES 2021 will be very different from previous years. There are no opportunities to meet spectators on the show floor because the show is presented only as a virtual event, and all the 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 it, but the impact is blunted by the fact that you view their activities through a Zoom feed on your monitor.

Here’s what we’re looking forward to (check out new additions):

Robots to keep us safe

If 2020 has taught us anything, it is that sanitation and hygiene are the key to keeping people safe. It also showed us that there may be jobs that it is better to surrender to technology to help people stay safe.

As the COVID-19 pandemic still reigns over the world, it’s no surprise that several CES companies plan to show robots that can disinfect surfaces this year.

One such droid is Coro-Bot, an “antivirus disinfection robot” created by Hills Engineering from South Korea. The robot has autonomous driving ability, which makes it possible to move independently in environments. It uses its flexible arms to identify the areas needed for cleaning, and sterilizes it using ultraviolet. It also contains an air circulator that reads that the coronavirus and other viruses in the air are killed with a far-infrared ceramic filter. It is easy to imagine that robots like these are used in hospitals and other environments. It is essential to ensure that there is no sign of coronavirus.

LG has been working on a similar robot it plans to unveil at CES, which emits ultraviolet light to disinfect areas with heavy traffic. Again, the robot can move autonomously and navigate through furniture to clean the entire room. It is designed for hospitality, education, corporate, retail and restaurant premises, as well as transportation

“Whether it’s hotel guests, students in classrooms or customers of restaurants and other businesses, they can rest assured that the LG autonomous UV robot will reduce their exposure to harmful bacteria and germs,” ​​said Michael Kosla, vice president of LG Business Solutions USA, said. said in a statement.

Like LG, Ubtech is a company that shows up at CES every year with new robots to show off, and it’s going to bring its own disinfection robot to this year’s show. The Adibot robot system contains two robots – the larger Adibot-A and the smaller mobile Adibot-S – which both use UV to disinfect surfaces. Ubtech has already announced prices for the two droids, which cost $ 40,000 and $ 20,000 respectively.

Robots to entertain and educate

If you’ve been watching the robotics world, you may have been spying on Moxie for the past year. This friendly-looking teal robot made by startup Embodied was recently announced as one of Time’s best inventions in 2020. In addition, it was listed as a CES 2021 Innovation Award Honoree.

These companion robots help children build 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 was outspoken about taking security seriously. If you have struggled with homeschooling a lot of little ones this year, Moxie may just be the thing you have been looking for to lend a hand.

From Japan, Yukai Engineering always brings the pleasure to CES with its cute house robots – one of which is a pillow with a robot tail. This year, the company introduces the Petit Qoobo, an identical but smaller sibling of its popular animation, as well as an updated version of the Bocco Emo emotional housemate robot.

Vanguard Industries will also be present from Japan, and we hope the company will take the opportunity to introduce its beautiful AI pet robot Moflin to the world.

It’s like a little gray guinea pig, it’s the closest thing we’ve seen to a robot that looks suitable for anyone newborn or older (it’s special with a very soft look going on). Each Moflin develops an individual personality over time and can express emotion through movement and sound. This is one robot that we are really sad not to 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 at CES in recent years by bringing his iconic and striking green machinery to the show floor. This year, the company received a CES Innovation Award for the robotic features of its X-Series mowers. With cameras that enable farmers to see directly in grain tanks, computer vision, autonomous driving ability and field-to-machine communication in the field, the X-Series should be one of the biggest robots to ever win the award. The company already gives select reporters a virtual experience of his CES True.

Another robot designed to support those outside work is Daesung’s Hive Controller. This robot deals with honey extraction, removing honeycombs from a beehive within a minute – usually a time-consuming process performed by two to five skilled individuals. With bees in danger and honey reaching superfood status, any robot that helps the honey industry thrive will be well received by us.