CyberLink, Macnica, GROOVE X announce smart family robot collaboration
CyberLink Corp, a provider of AI and facial recognition technology, has announced a new partnership with Macnica and GROOVE X, to enhance user experiences with GROOVE X’s ‘LOVOT,’ an advanced, smart family robot. By combining Macnica, a total services and solutions provider in semiconductor, network, cyber security and AI/IoT with CyberLink’s highly accurate AI-enhanced facial recognition engine, FaceMe, LOVOT’s capabilities are further expanded to include recognition of individual family members.
LOVE x ROBOT = LOVOT, a family-type robot
After four years of research and development, GROOVE X launched its LOVOT product in 2019. With its expressive eyes, deep learning based real time decision making, dynamically generated voice synthesizer, and physical warmth like a traditional pet, LOVOT has already won numerous awards in Japan and internationally.
LOVOT’s technology, which in some ways contrasts with its cute and cuddly appearance, has also been attracting attention for its potential to improve mental health, and for its use in emotional education. During the pandemic LOVOT gained popularity in educational facilities such as preschool schools, children’s centres, and elementary schools, as well as in diverse companies throughout Japan.
“With the personalised interactions that AI facial recognition can trigger for different household members, individuals will now gain a much more customised experience with LOVOT,” says Jau Huang, chairman and CEO of CyberLink. “We are confident that the enhanced ability to recognise different household members will boost LOVOT’s sense of companionship, similar to how a person grows emotionally closer to a pet as they spend time together.”
To improve LOVOT’s ability to recognise individuals, the collaboration between CyberLink, Macnica, and GROOVE X was key. Since LOVOT isn’t tall, and often views people’s faces from below, the capability to quickly identify and match individuals from an angle was necessary. CyberLink’s FaceMe works in real-time, able to accurately confirm an individual’s identity in less than 0.2 seconds with superior accuracy (99.7%) and can process a wide field of view, such as angled facial images.
Additionally, as a close technology partner, Macnica handles hardware and software, including CyberLink’s FaceMe. By proposing optimal solutions to fit GROOVE X’s needs, Macnica ensured LOVOT was integrated with a highly accurate facial recognition engine, requiring modest hardware demands, even while running on the embedded systems as used by LOVOT.
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