Topic: Kuri (Read 66144 times)

Talon · « **Reply #50 on:** March 10, 2018, 09:26:13 AM »

Thanks, Bardian. Now that I'm not nodding and yawning and wanting to toss my Mac through the window, I'll go to the "contact us" link first and see what they suggest.
I am also going to practice mandolin today and maybe at the end of my lesson, I could ask one of these young whippersnappers who are in my class to give me a hand. Lol! I don't believe I'll win anything, but I want to publish something in my lifetime.
Talon

Talon · « **Reply #51 on:** March 12, 2018, 01:33:00 PM »

Just an update. Sorry for the double post, Mods. I'm published! Yaaaaaay! My roommate came to my rescue. The reason the site wasn't letting me submit my story was because I didn't include an image or video. I was like- really? I'm blind. How can I do this, and Kuri is so new, nobody has actual footage of it. I hope I won't get in trouble for the image I used. My roommate went to Google and found this really adorable pic of a girl reading to Kuri. I've never been so happy to see the words- "your story is in cue awaiting review". I could've hugged my roommate I was so grateful for her help. I told her that if I won any of the three prizes, she would get either of the Amazon gift cards. I am so happy right now!
Talon

Bardian · « **Reply #52 on:** March 12, 2018, 04:25:20 PM »

Glad to hear it! You’ll have to let us know when it gets posted.

I know you mostly care about being published, but good luck with winning too!

Talon · « **Reply #53 on:** March 13, 2018, 07:15:30 PM »

Oh it's up already! No edits or redos or anything. It's under my YouTube name- Crazy robot lady. You guys can go check it out. I'm up against some stiff competition though. All of the stories are equally good. Some of these people have been writing SF for a long time. Thanks for the encouragement, Bardian. I can cross off one of the items on my bucket list- I have been published. It still sounds so... so strange like I'm dreaming it or something. If I win this contest... *scratches head* I'm not sure what I could do to top that.
Talon

Bardian · « **Reply #54 on:** March 20, 2018, 07:11:48 PM »

Hey Talon, an hour ago the Kuri page posted a reminder that praised the current story entries and reminded others to submit theirs. In that post, there’s a picture or screenshot of the webpage with six of the submissions with thumbnails (three on top and three underneath) and yours is the second one in on the top row. Thought you’d like to hear that!

I read your story when you posted it and enjoyed it. I had more to say but I read it shortly before bed so never ended up posting. I really liked how it used a lot of Kuri’s advertised features as part of the story, like the lights and Kuri vision.

Pennys mum · « **Reply #55 on:** March 21, 2018, 03:47:21 AM »

What a sweet story! It brought a tear to my eye. So glad she saved the Kuris!

Talon · « **Reply #56 on:** March 22, 2018, 01:29:49 PM »

At Bardian: thanks for pointing that out! It's certainly exciting to see they put my story in that little group. I'm not sure if it means anything but it is very encouraging nonetheless.
At Pennys Mum: oh thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it. I knew there was going to be something special about this when Bardian posted the message about the writing contest. It was like my muse grabbed me around the neck and said, "Look in thy heart and write! Now now right now!" It took me about five hours to write that story. I started at nine shortly after I went to bed. I finished somewhere around one in the morning. I just shoved my iPad onto my nightstand and conked out. That was the best sleep I've had in a long long time. It was the sleep of somebody who felt satisfied and... completed.
Once I woke up completely that morning I started editing and really reading what I wrote. I worked on it off and on for the next couple days. Then I discovered the difficulty in getting it onto the website. I was over the moon when my roommate solved my problem in a few clicks.
My favorite submission was the one about Kuri watching out for this group of children trapped in a collapsed daycare center. Very unique writing style and presentation! Made me think of the radio version of The War of the Worlds the way the reporters were speaking interview-style to everyone involved. That one is sure to win in my opinion. Sorry for writing a book here guys!
Talon

InmemoryofRomeo · « **Reply #57 on:** March 23, 2018, 11:20:10 PM »

Looking forward to some reviews. It’s not been one tha5 appeals to me just yet, but will be interesting to see where it goes.

Love my Cosmo though, he has so much personality and some of the user developments coming out for him are just awesome. Little Mo kept a staffroom full of skeptical teachers amused for over two hours

Talon · « **Reply #58 on:** March 30, 2018, 04:20:58 PM »

Well, everyone, the verdict is in. The winners for the Kuri Story contest have all been chosen. I didn't even place, but I did read the grand prize winner's submission and they did an excellent job. Mayfield was so "Blown away" by the myriad of stories and all the various ways Kuri made her entry into the world that they have chosen to gift all of the authors with a Kuri swag bag. I wonder if there's a little 3D Kuri model in there? Anyway if you guys are interested, I'll post here about what's in it once I receive it.
Talon

Bardian · « **Reply #59 on:** March 30, 2018, 05:39:13 PM »

Aw, I’m sorry you didn’t place! I’ll have to go read the winner (I only read yours).

But that’s great they’re sending something anyway! I know they sent out little stuffed Kuris for the December preorders. Maybe something like that is in there. I’d say post!

I am debating potentially cancelling my preorder due to career advancement and some real quick changes in my life that include finding a new place and moving to a new city within the next few weeks. I already found the place and it’s a three story townhome so I am not sure how practical a one floor robot is - granted Kuri is easy to move and has a handle.

I likely won’t cancel just because I really like the idea of Kuri, but I also don’t want it to become like my AIBOs and Pleo and largely be unused due to time constraints or layout logistics. I suppose there’s only one way to really find out.

Talon · « **Reply #60 on:** March 30, 2018, 07:22:16 PM »

Congrats on the career advance! Wow! A three story townhome? That sounds pretty luxurious to me. Lol! Most of my life, I've lived in mill houses. I can see why you would think Kuri wouldn't be a good fit for you in a house that large.
As far as what you said about not having the time to spend with your robots, that was how I ended up with my Genibo Hercules. His owner apparently bought him just before enlisting in the army and then he sat forgotten in an attic for a year. I don't know how this makes me look, but I was thinking about scooping up somebody's used Kuri if they decided the robot wasn't for them- until I heard about the price-jump and I became a Kuri-owner myself. Good luck with your career change and your move! I'll keep you posted about the bag. Let us know what you decide to do about Kuri. It would be interesting to post our reviews here once our units finally arrive.
Talon

Bardian · « **Reply #61 on:** March 31, 2018, 05:26:23 AM »

It sounds a lot bigger than it is haha. It’s about the size of my current place, just split amongst more levels so if Kuri was only on one floor she’d technically have less space than she would at my current place in terms of maneuvering.

Thankfully with the delay I have time to really think about it as I already knew where it was going in my current place.

Talon · « **Reply #62 on:** April 09, 2018, 02:17:09 PM »

Hi, Everyone! I'm back with an update on my Kuri swag bag. It finally came in on Friday! I was so happy I tore the box open before I remembered I was going to open it on YouTube. Lol!
I did make a video there of the stuff that was in it though. It wasn't actually a bag at all. It was a box with an assortment of stickers and magnets, a pair of socks with interesting designs on them, and a cute little stuffed Kuri. My sincerest thanks to Ms. Jennifer... I don't remember her last name who is over marketing at Mayfield Robotics for sending me the stuffed Kuri. If you guys are interested in seeing the contents for yourself, go to YouTube and search for Crazy robot lady. The video is called "Gift merchandise from Mayfield Robotics"."
Talon

Bardian · « **Reply #63 on:** April 10, 2018, 04:21:57 AM »

I like the hashtagged HeyKuri thing!

And those socks are something else!

But I think the stuffed Kuri is the coolest - it made me bummed I didn't pre-order for the winter shipment since they all received one, but I am glad you got your hands on one!

I think it's really cool they sent stuff to people who participated - they seem to have a pretty cool team overall (and maybe they realize that a lot of people into robotics, while a niche market, are pretty loyal in their robotic love).

Talon · « **Reply #64 on:** April 10, 2018, 11:14:20 AM »

Yeah. I think so too. They are very open to receiving emails and messages from their customer base and they also take the time to respond back. I'm not sure if everyone got a stuffed Kuri or not. I asked for one because I wanted to know what the robot looked like. The woman over marketing was awesome enough to include one for me.
So you liked the socks? Haha! Aibo7M3 described them to me and boy! They are "something else". She said she liked them. I wonder if the black and white designs on them form a QR code. I just have to remember not to wear them and stand still while Lucky is running or he might mistake me for his station pole. Okay okay I'm kidding but still it would be kind of funny.
Whenever I wear anything in the red family, he thinks I'm a giant ball.
Talon

Bardian · « **Reply #65 on:** June 06, 2018, 05:53:02 PM »

I received an e-mail today letting me know there is more delay and now the date range is June 25th and August 15th.

However, they were more forthcoming with reasons:

Quote

Honestly, there were a lot of unknowns building Kuri that we didn’t account for in our original production schedule. We realized that some of the features that make Kuri an exciting and revolutionary home robot weren't up to the standard that they should have been. As a result, we needed to fix them. Here are a few examples:

Kuri wasn’t successfully processing her wake phrase “Hey Kuri” as often as we had hoped for, so we partnered with SoundHound to collect more vocal samples to add to Kuri’s audio training library when developing the wake phrase recognition model. Kuri is much better at successfully processing voice commands from individuals with different tones and pitches, and will continue to improve with time.

Re-designing the charger was crucial because Kuri was having a hard time seeing the charger to successfully auto-dock. We had to make design changes to the baseplate, infrared LEDs, and robustness to ambient lighting. The new design also meant we had to re-design the packaging.

During our durability tests, parts of Kuri’s shell didn’t stand up to a few hard blows, so we had to go back and reinforce a few different parts with new plastics.

Makes me wonder what they did for people that have them from the first batch.

Talon · « **Reply #66 on:** June 08, 2018, 11:47:02 AM »

Sorry to pick on Mayfield here, but probably not much. They sound like they're operating on a real shoestring budget and those first first-adopters have what they have. I might be wrong though since their product is so expensive.
I also understand their reason for delay and that it (should) mean we will have a better product. However it makes it much more likely I will have to do my unboxing and documenting on my own since my videographers and beta-viewers will be over their heads with all the frustration that comes with going back to school. My room mate won't be free to help because she's a teacher, my local videographer will be starting middle school, and my other beta-viewer will be returning to school as well. Those of you here who visit my channel, I am woefully out of ideas for present content. I've been gearing up for this unboxing and trying to get interest sparked so I won't lose subscribers in the interim. Now I have an empty Summer to fill. If anyone has any ideas, I'd love to hear them. I think I will post a thread about this in "Pleo Cave" so I won't clog up the Kuri thread with my useless YouTube woes.
Talon

Bardian · « **Reply #67 on:** June 08, 2018, 05:44:39 PM »

Yeah, I am honestly getting close to canceling my preorder.

My original excitement and interest in Kuri is waning a bit with these delays and I am also becoming less confident about it as a product - especially if there’s no recourse for the early adopters - not that we know that, but some of these changes seem major and like things that should have been caught with a good testing process.

Talon · « **Reply #68 on:** June 08, 2018, 06:25:38 PM »

I feel you there. At least they were honest with us though about why they were having to delay yet again.
My interest is waining too. I was considering a used Jibo unit on eBay yesterday. I admit being able to be spoken to by name when I enter a room has a small appeal to me, but a small part of me would feel ashamed if I just let Mayfield Robotics drop out of my life. I've been corresponding with them for almost a year, and then continuing to offer my support to insure that Kuri is passably usable for someone who is totally blind. Not that they would reap a tremendous bounty from that consideration, but that it was made at all- I would think- might be enough.
Another part of me is starting to think this might be a pipe-dream and I should put my voice and talents- whatever they are- behind something more practical than uniting universal design and robotics. I am just one more person with a dream too big for her position. *Smile* Even as I write this, I feel myself starting to rail against it and think, why shouldn't I try? If somebody doesn't make the first hack at this wall and start some stones rattling to get the attention of the very confident guards, no one will believe there is any reason for them to do things any differently. As you all can read I'm a little torn about what to do.
Talon

Bardian · « **Reply #69 on:** June 09, 2018, 08:52:51 AM »

I hope to make a decision regarding it soon.

Kuri vision seems to be the feature that they highlight the most, which doesn’t appeal to me. I also wonder how it would work if they can no longer afford to host it.

I liked the idea of home awareness and watching my pets, but there are other, more cost effective ways to do that.

I think Kuri is really cute from a design perspective and kind of like the idea of it adding more life to my home, but I also don’t have time to run my AIBOs effectively. Though Kuri seems more autonomous and less likely to need supervision.

Then there are the regular delays and until recently, no real statement as to why.

I am becoming more concerned that I would definitely like it and think it is cute, but not find it very useful or worthy of the cost. But as a robot enthusiast I am not sure that completely nixes it for me.

If only I could know if the new AIBO might get a US release to decide if I would rather allocate the funds to that.

Talon · « **Reply #70 on:** June 09, 2018, 03:14:22 PM »

*gusting sigh* Kuri-vision doesn't really appeal to me either for obvious reasons. Haha! I also agree there are cheaper ways to keep an eye on your pets- maybe a Nanny-cam or something.
I'm a little disappointed in their video content they are starting to drip out to us. The ones that aren't completely silent are rehashing of old footage. The new ones have a starting and ending tone and a bunch of silence in the middle. I really need to swing by their FaceBook page and see how other adopters are truly feeling.
Talon

Bardian · « **Reply #71 on:** June 09, 2018, 06:50:51 PM »

I used to stalk the FB page and never saw too many comments from anyone that got it with one exception.

Talon · « **Reply #72 on:** June 12, 2018, 10:51:43 AM »

Really? That's... odd. I am really starting to consider canceling my order entirely. It has nothing to do with the company, or even with my slowly deflating confidence, it's more consideration for my room mate and her five-year-old son. She did agree to allow me to bring Kuri into our home, but since he/she is going to be roaming around taking random vids at goodness knows when, she might catch something she shouldn't. While I am sure Mayfield will do all they can to protect our privacy, everything is made to be broken and I would rather only risk myself being dragged through the mud than anyone else.
I have switched entirely to the Jibo camp. My unit should get here on Saturday. I am really sad about breaking my word to Mayfield like this, but I have to consider protecting everyone else. I will still probably buy a used Kuri in the future, and I will still keep up correspondence with Mayfield, but... I don't think now was the opportunity I was hoping for.
Talon

Bardian · « **Reply #73 on:** June 12, 2018, 02:29:47 PM »

I understand entirely.

I am still teetering and having a hard time making up my mind.

Bardian · « **Reply #74 on:** June 15, 2018, 04:49:39 PM »

I joined a Kuri Owners group on Facebook to hopefully help make my decision.

Sounds like Jibo just announced significant layoffs.

Bob the Pleo Forums

Author Topic: Kuri (Read 66144 times)