CES is always full of robots, and this year electronics giant LG announced a new bot, called CLOid, that it claims will revolutionize the household (like, you don’t have to do that anymore).
CLOid is described as a home robot powered by AI, designed to assist users in various domestic tasks – from folding laundry to making breakfast to patrolling the house for signs of trouble. Company said thatultimately, the device “transforms it into an environmental care agent that supports daily life.”
The bot was announced during LG’s keynote earlier this week, but was also available for inspection via a rolling presentation on the convention floor. I went to check one out, where I saw a bot, together with a human presenter, performing various tasks for an enthusiastic audience.
CLOid has autonomous movement, so it can run on its own, and is equipped with various cameras and sensors that, when paired with LG ThinQ smart home appcan use situational and environmental data to make proactive suggestions on how to make users’ lives better, LG said.
The bot also has a speaker to communicate with the user. LG says CLOid opens up a vision language model that turns “images and videos into structured language-based understanding” and a vision language action program that can turn spoken commands into actions (you know, like Siri).
The past few years have seen the introduction of several domestic robots, including Astro Amazon and Enabote EBO X. CLOid follows in its footsteps but seems to be designed for a wider variety of domestic tasks than its predecessors. Unlike Astro and EBO (which are little more than squat, rolling automatons), CLOid has a large upper body and two arms – a physique clearly designed to lift things and interact with its environment.
You would think that would lead to some impressive results, right? Unfortunately, in the presentation I saw, CLOid didn’t do much. I saw the bot very gingerly take the clothes out of the basket and put them in the dryer. I also saw him take a croissant and (again, very gingerly) put it in the oven. In addition to the live performance of the bot, the presentation is intercut with highly produced videos of the bot in several hypothetical scenarios that could be useful to potential users.
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CLOid is funny, and apparently quite affable, but the biggest thing you notice is how slowly that. During Tuesday’s presentation, when its human counterpart asked CLOid to make breakfast, the robot ran to the refrigerator, waited for the automatic door to open, and then stared inside the refrigerator for an uncomfortable moment before selecting milk.
Yes, even the most sluggish human would surely win the race against CLOid. However, speed is not the issue here. The idea is to ensure that the bot’s human counterpart doesn’t have to do anything. This is part of what LG refers to as “Zero Home Labor“Model, where automation takes care of all the boring but important domestic chores. You can brush your teeth or answer the phone from your boss while the bot is in the next room, prepping pancakes. That’s the idea, at least.
From the presentation available, it is not clear when the idea will become a reality. I can’t find out if and when the bot will be available to the public. The disclaimer at the bottom of the presentation video reads: “The products and solutions shown in this video are under development and have not been released for commercial use, so specifications may vary.”
LG’s on-site communications staff told me that CLOid would be available in the near future, but they didn’t know when. I contacted the LG Home Solutions team for more information.
Thus, like many other robots on display at CES, CLOid feels more like an advertisement for the company’s potential than an accurate representation of what it currently offers. The bot also looks good to help market LG’s new AI home ecosystem, which represents an impressive array of smart home products, many of which seem easier for consumers than the new home robots.
I got a brief tour of some of the latest editions of the product. In addition to back from LG Wallpaper (having spent a few minutes looking at the thin but beautiful surface, I can say that I want it), the company various devices showcased this week, including an AI-powered oven that can identify specific ingredients and recommend recipes for you, and an AI-powered fridge that you can talk to. All these devices must be synchronized with CLOid and can be controlled through the company ThinQ app.