Intel Corp unveiled a robot, nicknamed "Jimmy,’ made from 3D-printed parts that can walk, talk and perform a host of other activities at the Code Conference in Rancho Palos Verdes, California.
Intel chief executive Brian Krzanich accompanied "Jimmy" on stage at the conference, where the white 2-foot tall robot introduced itself and then waved its arms.
Jimmy can be programmed to sing, translate languages, send tweets, and even serve a cold beer. It has been designed as open source, allowing developers to build their own apps and users to download any software app.
The consumer version would be available later this year, starting around $1, 600, and can be assembled with a kit. Intel hopes the prices to fall below $1,000 within five years.
Intel will make available hardware designs for free, which will enable anyone with access to a 3-D printer to generate and assemble the basic parts. The kit will include those parts that can’t be printed, including the motors, wires, battery, processor and other stuff.
The consumer model will operate on Intel Edison while the more robust research version equipped with an Intel Core i5 processor will cost close to $16,000.
Intel is attempting to carve out a space for itself in the emerging technologies market such as phones, tablets, notebooks and other devices. It recently announced a partnership with Rockchip, an ARM chip licensee, to distribute versions of its Atom chips to Asian customers beginning next year; and also unveiled a pair of "smart earbuds" that will be powered by Edison, the next generation of the Quark embedded processor line.
