Purism has announced a crowdfunding campaign to support its latest research and development efforts in robotics and artificial intelligence. The company aims to provide an alternative direction to the current offerings from major tech companies. Purism, a Social Purpose Company, is known for delivering technology that respects digital rights and consistently challenges the norms set by Big Tech.
The focus of Purism’s new project is the MiMi, a toddler-sized bipedal robot. Unlike other robotics projects that produce AI-driven products to replace human tasks, the MiMi will be controlled remotely by a human operator with AI assistance. This approach addresses the issue of trust in robots; when robots fail, they can lose user trust. With a human operator, any failures can be perceived as human-like interactions, making the technology more relatable and acceptable.
The MiMi combines AI-driven tasks with human control, allowing for a balance between automated functions and human oversight. For example, while a smart speaker can provide weather updates automatically, the MiMi will allow human operators to intervene and adjust its functions as needed. This learning process can eventually lead to more automated tasks.
Key features of the MiMi include hardware kill switches for safety, privacy protection by default, and free/libre open-source software. The research and development phase has already begun, and Purism has posted new job roles for those interested in joining the mission-driven technology team. The product will be released in incremental iterations, focusing on being fun, productive, and revolutionary.
For more information and to join the campaign, visit Purism’s crowdfunding page.