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Zenbo

Topic: Engineering

 From HandWiki - Reading time: 5 min

Short description: Social Domestic Robot
ASUS Zenbo
ManufacturerAsus
Year of creation2016
TypeDomestic
PurposeCompanionship
Websitezenbo.asus.com

ASUS Zenbo is a Taiwanese domestic robot developed by Asus, unveiled at Computex 2016. Priced at approximately US $599, ASUS Zenbo resembles a small rolling companion with a color touchscreen “face” and a rounded base equipped with wheels.[1] Powered by an Intel processor and Intel RealSense depth‐sense camera, it was promoted as “robotic computing for every household”.[2] The name is inspired by a combination of "Zen", "robot" and "boy".[3]

Zenbo is designed to provide assistance, entertainment, and companionship across all age groups. For seniors, it offers medication and appointment reminders, fall detection, and emergency alerts. Family members can remotely control Zenbo’s camera for monitoring purposes. It also encourages intergenerational connection – enabling video calls, voice‐driven web browsing, and control of smart home devices like lights, televisions, and air conditioning.[4]

In homes with children, Zenbo can serve as a storyteller, educational companion, and entertainer, equipped with interactive games, songs, and responsive expressions on its touchscreen face.[5]

Release and reception

Zenbo launched for pre-order in Taiwan on January 1, 2017, backed by partnerships across government, education, and security sectors — including an emergency app linked to the National Police Agency.[6]

While early reviews praised its affordability, comparable to premium smartphones, and its robust feature set, critics pointed to limitations in speech recognition and navigation accuracy.[7] ASUS expressed hopes that Zenbo would evolve through developer contributions and ecological growth.

Features

  • Mobility: Autonomous navigation using onboard camera and sensors.[8]
  • Voice Interaction: Hands-free control for reminders, web queries, and smart device commands.
  • Communication and Multimedia: Supports video calls, music playback, streaming, and home appliance control.[9]
  • Security and Monitoring: Able to detects fall and suspicious events, notifying family via a smartphone app.
  • Developer Platform: Offers an open software development kit and partner program, inviting third-party app development.[10]

Legacy

In December 2017, ASUS enhanced Zenbo for medical contexts, integrating it with healthcare platforms for use in smart hospital environments alongside Swiss data provider Clinerion. By late 2023–2024, community feedback — including technical issues and discontinued updates — suggested that Zenbo had fallen into limited support phases, but has later been confirmed as a misunderstanding.[11]

See also

  • Home automation
  • Social robots
  • Domestic robots
  • Asus
  • Pecola (robot)
  • Taiwan Automation Intelligence and Robot Show

References

  1. ↑ "Would you like a robot to do your housework?". Glamour. 2 June 2016. https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/zenbo-home-butler-asus-robot. 
  2. ↑ Gibbs, Samuel (31 May 2016). "Meet Zenbo, the Asus robot that costs no more than a smartphone". The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/may/31/asus-zenbo-robot-price-smartphone-voice-face. 
  3. ↑ "Friendly Zenbo robot runs your home, tells you what to eat and looks out for elderly relatives". Daily Mirror. 30 May 2016. https://www.mirror.co.uk/tech/friendly-zenbo-robot-runs-your-8080934. 
  4. ↑ Ackerman, Evan (31 May 2016). "Asus Zenbo Attempts to Convince Us That We Need a $600 Home Robot". Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. https://spectrum.ieee.org/asus-zenbo-attempts-to-convince-us-that-we-need-a-600-home-robot. 
  5. ↑ "Asus launches its first-ever robot Zenbo". The Economic Times. 31 May 2016. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech-life/asus-launches-its-first-ever-robot-zenbo/introducing-robotic-computing/slideshow/52517982.cms?from=mdr. 
  6. ↑ Lai, Richard (December 21, 2016). "Taiwan to get first dibs on ASUS' Zenbo home robot". engadget.com. https://www.engadget.com/2016-12-21-asus-zenbo-taiwan-launch.html. 
  7. ↑ "First batch of Asustek's robot sells out in minutes". Taipei Times. January 4, 2017. https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/biz/archives/2017/01/04/2003662455. 
  8. ↑ 張佩芬 (2017-05-18). "華碩Zenbo家用機器人 東森購物首賣「現貨」免等待" (in zh-tw). China Times. https://www.chinatimes.com/realtimenews/20170518003377-260508?chdtv. 
  9. ↑ 卓怡君 (2018-05-31). "華碩機器人進軍商務市場 推出全新ASUS Zenbo商務管理系統" (in zh-tw). Liberty Times. https://ec.ltn.com.tw/article/breakingnews/2443623. 
  10. ↑ 陳品融 (2025-02-19). "華碩機器人從「被長輩收進盒子」到有24種表情，如何成功落地？" (in zh-tw). Global Views Monthly. https://www.gvm.com.tw/article/119271. 
  11. ↑ 楊安琪 (2019-06-19). "Zenbo 再見為誤傳？華碩澄清機器人部門無裁撤規劃" (in zh-tw). Tech News. https://technews.tw/2019/06/19/asus-denies-rumor-of-dissolving-robotic-division/. 



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