If you like the idea of a semi-autonomous robot keeping an eye on your home
and also entertaining your pets, then the end about Ebola
is the device for you.
Right.
The Ebo is the latest in a line of robot devices
created by Annabelle, a company operating out of Hong Kong.
The robots use A.I.
and robotics engineering to address a very specific tecniche
entertainment connecting family and home monitoring and security.
Each of the Evo range robots is positioned to enable owners
to monitor, interact with pets and humans remotely
using the integrated camera and audio hardware
you're able to view here and interact with the environment around the robot .
Plus, as an extension of the technology, anybody is also exploring using robots
to enable users to connect with family members separated by distance.
However, the part of the inner bot proposition that I was most interested
in was the use of the Igbo air as a home monitoring and security device.
The Igbo Air is the most feature rich device from and about taking
the best features of all its predecessors and combining them into one robot.
It's the combination
of being a remote control robot coupled with artificial intelligence
that sets it apart from nearly every other similar device on the market.
Some serious thought has gone into the Igbo air in terms of its design.
However, the robot is still very attractively priced at only 229 U.S.
dollars in the box as the robot itself, which is surprisingly
and delightfully compact.
It measures a little bigger than a tennis ball.
You also get a base for the Igbo air to dock and recharge.
It includes a sticky pad on the bottom, which is useful for making
sure the Igbo can successfully return to its home every time.
Plus and about also includes a power brick to connect the base to your main supply.
I originally backed Evo Air on Indiegogo and my perk level comes with a 32 gig mark
SD card included, which is necessary for recording audio video.
The robot is controlled by Anna Bots IBO app.
Once registered, connecting the robot is managed by scanning
a QR code from the app, using the Igbo as built in camera.
The robot communicates with the app on your phone via your home Wi-Fi network.
Later in this video, I go over the app, features in more detail
and explain how they all work when it comes to the hardware.
There's a ten HP camera,
which is full color during daylight and includes night vision after dark.
There's also a microphone and speaker to enable
two way communication to pets and people around the Ibarra.
The robot maneuvers using two sets of tiny robot tracks,
which are easy to disassemble and clean.
This is very useful for pet owners where cat and dog hair
can clog up the wheels within the tracks.
The IBO owner can perform quick maintenance
to keep the robot in operation.
The front of the robot has a basic LCD display and gives you a quick,
easy reference for the battery level and whether the camera is turned on
in the last two hardware features of note.
The small silicon feathers and laser pointer integrated into the robot.
Both are specifically for entertaining your pets.
The Ebo app is nicely designed and more than a little quirky.
Beyond connecting robots, the user interface
has a number of expected and not so expected features.
The main interface is accessed by tapping on the video feed at the top.
Here, you're able to manually control the Ebola via two different
selectable interfaces, which I'll go over in more detail later.
Settings enables you to connect and change your network settings, adjust the volume
of the speaker, switch the LED icons on and off from the front
display, and also set a Do Not Disturb schedule.
You can use the app to invite other registered Evo app users
to control your robot.
I can see this particular feature being useful for couples
who both want the ability to check in on pets remotely, plus family
members who want to monitor elderly or infirm relatives.
The media files contains all the photos and videos captured on the micro SD card.
From here, you have to download them from your robot to your phone first,
which can take some time based on your network speed.
The security section contains monitoring features for the Ebola from here.
If you have the robot set up
in a prominent location in your home with a good view of your main living area,
you can set it to automatically record video at different times.
The option also includes recording from one hour to up to 24 hours,
continually making it more like a standard internet enabled webcam.
However, the more interesting feature
and the main reason I wanted to buy the Ebola is the cruise security function.
Here's where you can schedule your Ebola from automated patrols
of your house and record audio and video at the same time.
Ebola uses artificial intelligence and its senses to roam around your home
for up to three minutes.
In the settings, you can have the Ebola record video footage
for the entire three minutes, or you can choose to have push notifications
of video clips sent to your phone if it detects a human or a pet
as a tech nerd who's grown up on a healthy diet of science fiction.
There's something very fun
about having your own personal robot security guard to patrol your house.
You may never need to function, but it certainly entertained me.
The EPA feature as an additional function that both entertains and perplexes me.
You're able to set up your Ebo on a schedule,
and it will randomly wake itself up from standby mode in its cradle
and then take off on a small tour of your house during the journey.
It says it all really small skills.
I believe it means it will perform random movements to engage your pets.
Unfortunately, I've been unable to ascertain exactly what this means.
So if you own an Igbo and you know the answer,
please leave your insights in the comments.
Another section of the app has functions here.
You can set a number of different reminders for various reasons.
Setting a reminder a specific time sends a push notification
to your phone and prompts the Ebola to make an audio announcement.
How, no matter how busy you are.
Remember what
time you get up and go, Hey, it's time to get up.
I could see this being useful, setting up reminders for anyone not already
using their phone, Google Home or Amazon Alexa to organize their lives,
especially when the Ebola is being used for elderly relatives remotely.
This brings me to the third equally curious feature called Family Memo.
Hey, you're invited to schedule a note with a key word and a message.
The notes don't perform any action on the Ebola specifically,
but you can access them via the app on shared accounts.
Finally, the last section
on the main interface is the tutorial library, which includes seven quick videos
explaining the basic functions of the event.
Along the top of the main camera interface is an option
to activate the eye tracking, which is a very cool feature.
Once activated, the Ebola will scan the environment,
looking for humans or pets and then methodically follow them around.
Once locked on,
the second icon controls the built in laser pointer for playing with your pets.
The feature is a company with some cute audio,
so you know they'll
keep moving along.
You'll find the buttons for taking photos and capturing video,
which is stored on the Igbo as micro SD card.
The next two icons control the microphone and speaker functions.
first uses your phone microphone to broadcast her voice through the EBA.
The other icon controls the on off
status of the built in microphone to hear nearby pets and humans.
You're able to set the resolution of the camera feed from high, medium
or low, which is useful for adjusting depending on your home network speed.
Tapping on the small IBO Air
icon brings up a submenu to adjust the speed of the robot and speaker volume.
Then, on the right are options to change the user interface for controlling Egbo
axillary settings for stopping Ebo from crashing into obstacles.
Useful for avoiding getting stuck
in a tight corner for prevention to avoid tumbling over ledges and stairs.
Plus the haptic feedback when using the app.
The final section
in the submenu enables you to choose between tracking humans or pets,
and also have some fun cosmetic choices for the types of icons
you see in the heads up display .
The remaining four functions are a mix of pet entertainment
and a manual control for sending the Ebo back to its charging station.
There are five preprogramed moves designed to engage pets, plus
four additional buttons outside of the dedicated pet user interface
like my
hard left face.
Those functions include a turbo button, which makes IMO a shoot forward
at maximum speed.
The second option
makes IBO Air perform a little tumble, and the third button makes IBO Air perform
a tight circle, all presumably to get the attention of your pets.
The Igbo Air is a fun or useful device.
You can definitely see
the benefits of the robot for pet minding when away from home.
The different controls
and add ons like the silicon feathers make this an ideal toy for pet owners.
The compact design uses two very important features
when it comes to its function as a roving camera.
The first is that the weight imbalance of the unit is such
that it writes itself whenever it hits a bump in its path.
So far, in every instance, it's
always corrected itself and ended up back on its tracks,
which is absolutely essential for remote controlling the robot.
The second is that Ebola includes a sensor to avoid tumbling
over the edge of stairs and similar drops.
The robot automatically stops at the precipice.
The Ebola video and audio performance is OK.
The video feed, despite
being ten HP, is a bit too grainy, even at the highest setting,
and the audio for the two way communication is possible.
Give me a break!
Would it?
There's a wealth
of nice little touches from the robust and well-thought-out physical design
to the little vocalizations of the Ibar in different modes.
The robot is also silent thanks to its brushless motors.
Other than the design sound effects, the unit will not disrupt your household
by far and away. My favorite features A.I.
security patrols and video recording and push notifications.
I get a kick out of the idea.
There's a robot in my house keeping an eye on my place at night.
Even if the probability of actually being used to catch a burglar
is both minimal and not something I ultimately want to put to the test.
However, one current drawback is the patrol only last three minutes,
which isn't enough time to patrol larger homes by design.
The IBO won't stray too far from its charging stations
so as not to get stranded.
When the Igbo air is unable to attain a line of sight with the charging station,
it will get confused and circle the same spot for a while before it dies.
Ideally, it would have been nice to have an option
for larger homes to use the air to monitor battery levels and also navigate
back to its docking station, even when out of line of sight,
fixed location security or just using the Igbo
as a static security camera also has its drawbacks.
You have to find a central position for the docking station
to give you the best coverage of your home.
Plus, because the robot has to be a floor level and close to a power supply.
You might be limited on the number of places you can place the Ebola.
I could see the Ebola air
being useful for families with elderly or infirm relatives.
However, it does require all parties to be happy
with a small surveillance device permanently in their home.
Finally, while not a deal breaker, the iPad functions
and family memo features all seemingly pointless at this time.
Better instructions included with the Ebola or maybe app.
Dates would definitely help
alleviate the frustration to be able to get the most out of these features
as a final word, I'd recommend the Ebola to anyone looking for a fun device
for pet minding or some simple home security.
The design and features that are useful do justify
the relatively low price of the robot, and there's a lot of fun to play with.
Thank you for watching.
And as always, please like this video and subscribe to my channel
for more content on the connected home and personal technology.