"A Robot Vacuum Cleaner That Understands and Cares for People"… Samsung Designers Talk About 'Jetbot AI'

Photo by Samsung Electronics

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] Samsung Electronics introduced the AI-based robot vacuum cleaner 'Bespoke Jet Bot AI' in South Korea earlier this year. Recently, it launched the 'Jet Bot AI+' in the United States and Europe, targeting overseas markets as well.

According to industry sources on the 4th, Samsung Electronics' designers focused on embedding understanding and consideration for people into the design and detailed functions so that the AI-equipped robot vacuum cleaner would blend seamlessly into consumers' daily lives, spaces, and lifestyles without causing any sense of alienation.

"From start to finish, independently like a person"

According to Samsung Electronics, the Bespoke Jet Bot AI has pre-learned over one million images, enabling it to recognize the largest number of objects among robot vacuum cleaners released in South Korea. Equipped with a 'LiDAR' sensor used in autonomous vehicles, it creates image maps of various areas inside the home such as bedrooms, living rooms, and laundry spaces, and moves autonomously to clean.

It is also the first in the industry to be equipped with an 'Active Stereo Camera' type 3D sensor that can detect all obstacles larger than 1㎤. Samsung Electronics explained that this allows the vacuum to safely clean around delicate items such as ceramics, vases, glass cups, and electrical wires. It operates even in dark places like under furniture or rooms with the lights off.

Designer Na Nuri said, "To create a robot vacuum cleaner that does not rely on the user, we carefully examined the entire cleaning process before and after." One of the most common situations users face is errors or the device stopping operation. Designers judged that to properly recognize spaces and obstacles and move accordingly, the vacuum needs the ability to think like a person rather than follow monotonous paths.

Photo by Samsung Electronics

Communication is intuitive and delicate
Form is friendly to users

The Bespoke Jet Bot AI expresses its functions and status through softly glowing lighting along its curved surfaces. The 22 delicately designed lighting animations convey the current state to users through intuitive and metaphorical expressions.

This product also incorporates 'Bixby,' implemented with a voice pleasant to anyone based on research conducted in various countries. Information and functions related to cleaning are delivered seriously and clearly, while in other moments, it speaks to users in a friendly tone. Designer Kim Yeon-su explained, "We strived to make the AI functions flawless while conveying friendliness and consideration rather than the rigidity of a machine."

'Pet Care' feature to check pets' status even from outside

Users of the Bespoke Jet Bot AI can use the 'Pet Care' service provided by the Samsung SmartThings application to check their pets' status in real-time from outside through the camera attached to the robot vacuum cleaner. Additionally, they can adjust the temperature or lighting inside the home using other devices connected to the SmartThings app to help stabilize their pets.

This product immediately notifies users if their pets exhibit abnormal behavior and provides helpful information. It can also play calming music or videos according to the user's commands. Moreover, it records the pets' daily lives, which users could not see when away, preserving special moments.

Designer Lee Dong-min introduced, "We equipped these features to empathize with and care for users who have to leave their pets alone and the pets who remain alone."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.