Sphero spinoff announces a $3,200 programmable robot

Misty Robotics, a spinoff of Sphero, has just announced Misty II, the second generation of its programmable robot it initially displayed at this year’s CES.

While Misty I was a beta model meant for select developers to tinker with, Misty II is more polished and created for a wider audience. Misty II still retains the adorable form of its predecessor with a screen featuring expressive cartoon eyes, but now, it looks more complete, thanks to new white-and-gray housing.

Much of what Misty I was supposed to do in theory can now actually be done with Misty II. The robot is powered by two Qualcomm Snapdragon processors and runs on Windows IoT Core and Android 7 operating systems. It boasts a far-field array mic, a 4K camera that can be streamed over Wi-Fi, facial recognition, two speakers, and a bunch of sensors for mapping space and avoiding objects. Oh, and this version has arms. The whole point of Misty II is that you can take advantage of all these features to download skills of your choice or create your own, using visual block-based programming or JavaScript APIs.

So, on top of some of the basic things Misty II is capable of, like recognizing specific people, autonomously navigating spaces, and docking itself for charging, you can tailor the robot to perform any number of advanced jobs. Some of the ideas Misty Robotics gives on its website include having it patrol the perimeter of your house while you’re gone, taking inventory of groceries on open shelving, or playing with your dog if it’s home alone. Additionally, if you’re extra motivated, you could do things like 3D print an arm for Misty II with a drink holder or add additional sensors like one to monitor air quality.

Though the Misty II is definitely a more commercial-looking model, the company says it’s not a product for the average consumer. On its website, Misty Robotics says, “Misty II is built for software developers (corporate and entrepreneur), STEM students, makers, and passionate programmers interested in robots but have never been able to ‘program a robot’ because they were either too expensive, required a degree in robotics, or lacked useful skills for everyday tasks.”

Misty Robotics has launched a 30-day crowdfunding campaign that’s offering a 50 percent discount on Misty II. While it will eventually retail for $3,200, the first 250 buyers can currently snag a model for $1,499, while the next tier bumps the price up to $1,599. The company has set an expected ship date of December 4th, but, as always, be mindful when buying into crowdfunding projects.