GoKawiilIf I said the words “wearable robot” to you, you might initially feel confused, but when you see iKairos in person, the idea quickly makes sense.
iKairos is effectively a modular system with a circular AI device at its heart, about the size of a large smartwatch face. The device, called the “neural core,” can either be worn around your neck as a pendant or slotted into a cute desktop robot to form the head.
I met iKairos, the creation of Singaporean startup Lingverse, at IFA in Berlin. There are a huge number of small AI devices at the show, but this one caught my eye for its flexibility and modularity. It falls into two different product categories at once — wearables and robots — making it a unique proposition. At least these will be the two options at launch. Lingverse has plans to expand the range of hardware options over time.
Most standalone AI devices are designed for specific uses, such as note-taking, life-logging or productivity. Of these, iKairos occupies a spot somewhere between life-logging and productivity. It ambiently keeps tabs on your conversations, your environment and your preferences, both to preserve your memories and make suggestions that can be helpful in your daily life.
iKairos can also take the form of a desktop robot.
The ability to switch out the devices that play host to the neural core means the iKairos device can capture multiple perspectives in different settings. I could understand the way you work at home, for example, along with where you like to go in your spare time, who the important people are in your life and what you do to relax.
This central module has a display, with a pair of cartoon eyes, but it also slides open to reveal a camera that can be used to capture photos or video. I like the fact that the camera isn’t always out and always on. It gives you, and those around you, a level of privacy that AI peripherals with cameras front and center simply don’t offer. In addition to this physical shutter, there’s also a light underneath the camera that makes it obvious when it’s switched on.
Voice detection and capture are local to the device, and any data processed in the cloud is encrypted, according to Lingverse. The company also stresses that user data is not used for training purposes.
The main idea behind Kairos is that it captures the context needed to understand who you are and how you live, but I’m still a little fuzzy on what it actually does with information. It can identify insights and patterns, as well as take snapshots of your memories, which you can ask it to recall for you later, but it’s not clear exactly what its killer function is right now.
In robot mode, iKairos is pretty cute.
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