Gatebox & Connectome

As more people worldwide live alone, technology companies are proposing solutions from chatbots to empathy robots. Gatebox has designed an automated home assistant that provides utility and companionship to young people living alone. The assistant is embodied in a character named Azuma Hikari, who has a built-in camera, microphone, and numerous sensors that allow her to learn from her environment. In 2017, the company behind Gatebox was acquired by Line, a major social media app popular in Asia, giving them access to richer AI capabilities.

The second video demonstrates a technology from the Singaporean company, Connectome, which is experimenting with a virtual human agent named Rachel. Rachel can move across devices and screens and can be seen through augmented reality via your phone. The video gives an insight into how virtual personal assistants like Azuma and Rachel ‘see’, interpret, and interact with the space you are in.