A Xiaomi-backed Chinese tech company is set to mass-produce a mobile robot later this year, China Daily reported.
Ninebot (Beijing) Tech Co Ltd has rolled out Loomo, a robot that was transformed from the Ninebot Mini scooter launched in 2015. The scooter was the brainchild of Segway Inc., a former U.S. company that specialized in self-balancing scooters and was acquired by Ninebot.
The prototype was first rolled out at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last year. Since then, the core business of Ninebot has expanded to two major segments: Segway PT (Personal Transportation) and Segway Robotics, China Daily wrote.
Loomo adopts artificial intelligence for its listening and speaking capabilities. It runs on an Intel chipset and is fitted with an array of sensors. It also comes with a hardware extension bay for connecting to other peripherals.
At this year's CES, Loomo acted as a personal parking assistant to BMW vehicles. Ninebot is also aiming to "implement the service for drivers and also is willing to create customized service for high-end parking lots, similar to the charging piles that set up for Tesla drivers," Sarah Zhang, the company's senior director and head of Robotics Business Operations, told China Daily in an interview.
The tech firm has also launched a software developer kit, allowing developers to make their own applications for Loomo. Since starting in 2016, the developers' project has attracted thousands of applications vying for authorization for Segway Robots.
Short-listed applicants will be allowed to purchase the robot's developer edition and get technology support from Ninebot, according to China Daily.
"Speaking of business models, we want to accomplish a win-win beneficial success with third-party developers through application R&D and business cooperation," Ninebot said in a statement.
In February, Ninebot will sponsor a robotic platform at a hackathon event in Singapore.