Evolution Robotics announced that the ER1 personal robot system
will be available in retail stores in time for the holidays. In
connection, Evolution Robotics has planned over 200 demos of ER1
across the U.S., where curious consumers, robot hobbyists and journalists
are welcome to get to know ER1 up close and personal.
If you haven't heard, ER1 is the first in a line of autonomous
personal robots that invite users to transform their laptops into
mobile robots by assembling the robot's aluminum frame and loading
easy-to-use software.
Users can instruct their robot to respond to voice commands, take
photographs of its environment and send them to an email address,
play music from a CD it recognizes, read books from pre-recordings
and send reminders to its owner.
For a close encounter with ER1, log on to: www.evolution.com,
and find out when ER1 is coming to a city near you {in
the USA}.
- 17 October, 2002
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Fiona McClelland
Connors Communications
Tel: 212.798.1406
E-mail: fiona@connors.com
The Evolution Robotics™ ER1™ Robot Rolls Into Retail
From Fry's to FAO Schwarz,
from J&R to Amazon, leading retailers are now offering
the world's first personal robot system designed for the home and
workplace
Check out The ER1 Demo
Days at Select Retail Locations Nationwide
Pasadena, CA - October 1, 2002 - The vision
of a robot in every home came one step closer to reality today as
Evolution Robotics™ Inc. announced the retail launch of the
Evolution Robotics ER1™, a personal robot system designed for
the home and workplace. Consumer technology enthusiasts can purchase
the ER1 in time for the holiday season from a mix of popular consumer
electronic retail outlets including Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN), Fry's
Electronics, select FAO Schwarz stores, J&R Computer World,
TigerDirect, Insight, as well as through Evolution Robotics web
site, www.evolution.com. Customers are invited to check out the
ER1 at one of over 200 demonstration days being hosted by stores
across the country over the next two months. Find the nearest demo
days location at www.evolution.com.
Evolution Robotics carefully selected retail
partners who share Evolution Robotics vision as well as cater to
a market of hobbyists and early adopters who will ultimately help
drive the use of personal robotics in everyday life. "We look
for consumer products that will have a lot of traction in the marketplace.
Particularly in the months leading up to the holiday season, we
need to put products on our shelves that will be big winners. When
we saw what ER1 could be trained to do we felt it was an important
and exciting item we wanted to showcase and sell to our customers,"
commented Carl Fiorentino, President, TigerDirect.com.
Available in two configurations, the Evolution
Robotics ER1 can be purchased unassembled for $599 MSRP, or assembled
for $699 MSRP. Using the owner's Windows laptop, the ER1 allows
users to create their own personal robots and easily train them
to perform a variety of tasks ranging from taking pictures of the
family and automatically emailing them to friends, playing music
on command, reading a bedtime story to the children, capturing video
of the home or children for security purposes, setting daily reminders
for its owner and, using additional accessories that will be available
in the coming months, holding, delivering and/or receiving packages
and objects.
"Now that the ER1 is out in the retail
market, we believe consumers are going to be very impressed with
a powerful yet affordable product that brings robotics into their
day-to-day lives," commented Bill Gross, Founder and Executive
Chairman of Evolution Robotics. "With its remarkable performance
and capabilities, our personal robot will show consumers how it
can carry out tasks and ultimately become an indispensable tool
for every household."
Following the introduction of the ER1 in
May 2002, Evolution Robotics set up a beta program with more than
50 developers and consumers to test early versions of the ER1 personal
robot system. "It took me much less time to assemble the ER1
than any other robot I have purchased as a kit," said James
C. Deen, an ER1 beta customer. "With the ER1, as soon as I
loaded up the software on my laptop, plugged in the camera and Robot
Control Module using the fool-proof USB connections, I had it moving
about and accurately recognizing my fish tank, office door, several
different magazine covers, and even myself in about 30 minutes.
The ER1 is sophisticated enough to capture the devotion of any level
of robotics hobbyist or student, yet simple enough to pique the
interest of the average consumer."
A technological breakthrough in the personal
robot market, the ER1 is only the first in a line of autonomous
personal robot products that Evolution Robotics will bring to market.
Accessories for the ER1 will also be released by the end of the
year, including a gripper arm that can grab and move objects. The
gripper arm's design provides easy operation and useful functionality
and can be attached anywhere on the ER1 using flexible attachment
options. Other accessories include a second power module for extended
use, an infrared sensor pack to help the ER1 navigate around an
area using "object presence" and a robot expansion pack
that contains additional beams, connectors, and wheels to allow
an owner to customize or tailor make the ultimate ER1 robot or robot
accessory.
Bernard Louvat, CEO of Evolution Robotics
added "This is a big step in our overall company vision. Once
manufacturers see the power and potential of our technology we hope
they will work with us and license our technology platform for their
own new and existing products."
Evolution Robotics has plans to begin shipping
and selling the ER1 internationally in early 2003. The company will
also be exhibiting at CES, Las Vegas in January 2003, where it will
be demonstrating its line of personal robot products and software
technologies. More information on Evolution Robotics and the ER1
can be found at www.evolution.com.
About Evolution Robotics
Evolution Robotics™, www.evolution.com,
provides and manufactures technologies and personal robot products
for the home and workplace, targeting both businesses and consumers
directly. Based in Pasadena, California and founded in March 2001,
Evolution Robotics has developed the Evolution Robotics Software
Platform™, a proprietary, open, modular, portable, hardware-independent
and scalable software architecture. Following the company's launch
in February 2002, Evolution Robotics licenses its robotics technologies,
including the Evolution Robotics Software Platform, to OEMs to help
bring new personal robot products to market. The company's current
consumer product, the ER1™, was introduced in May 2002 and
is the first-ever personal robot that can be trained to perform
useful functions. The ER1, which hit the retail market in October
2002, is available online and through a mix of consumer electronic
retail stores, catalogers, and online merchants. Evolution Robotics
mission is to accelerate the personal robot industry and help spur
the creation of a variety of functional personal robot products
that will become indispensable in our daily lives, at work and home.
|