American startup Mayfield Robotics, backed by Bosch, has introduced its latest creation, Kuri -- a home robot with personality.

While the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas is no stranger to innovative robot technology, Kuri’s cute features and unique character traits drew buzz at this year’s show. 

Mayfield engineers said Kuri’s biggest selling point is its character. The robot is designed to make eye contact with its owners. It is able to recognize specific people and responds with facial expressions and head movements when asked questions.

Instead of serving the functional purposes of what one may initially think of for a home robot, such as cleaning, Kuri is a voice-controlled robot that performs simple tasks and provides companionship.

Kuri can be used to tell kids a bedtime story, follow someone around the house playing music, capture images or deliver messages. Embedded with a built-in microphone and sound-detection technology, Kuri is fully voice operational.

With its built-in camera system, the robot can also perform security checks and be used to control smart home devices. The robot is able to detect unusual noises and can send notifying text alerts to its owners as well.

Kuri is to be priced at $699.

By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)