What do you get when you combine Amazon’s “Alexa” with a miniature forklift? The Vector robot, of course! Anki’s take on the “virtual assistant” concept, Vector is a small, robotic companion that uses a combination of sensors to map out and navigate its surroundings. It can also interact with and respond to its human users with voice recognition and motion tracking. It’s even got an arm-like lifting mechanism for picking up small objects in its environment.

The Vector’s complex AI allows it to develop its own unique personality. Part of what sets the Vector apart from other home assistants is the ease in which it can take in and learn from the world around it. The Vector has the ability to not only learn names, but the faces that accompany them as well. It can hold conversations, play games, and more, all with the power of the sophisticated AI contained within its tiny processors.

Speaking of tiny, the Vector manages to pack a whopping 700 individual parts into its chassis- despite being only around 3 inches tall. Its complex, yet compact design is what allows the Vector to remain fully mobile and completely autonomous 24/7. It never needs to turned off or- thanks to its constant WiFi connection- manually updated, and it can even monitor its own battery levels and drive itself back to its charging station. The Vector robot emphasizes independence- it doesn’t rely on human interaction in order for it to elicit a response. The Vector robot can be set up once, left completely alone, and still function- completely without human contact. The Vector goes beyond the concept of a robotic companion- though it’s designed primarily to interact with humans, it’s perfectly capable of being its own independent little robot self.

See him in action below!