As a child, Cynthia Breazeal loved R2-D2 and C-3PO from Star Wars. They were not only functional, as we expect robots to be, but they also radiated personality. Decades later, as an expert in social robotics at MIT, Breazeal decided to infuse a real-life robotic assistant with the same endearing charm. She co-founded a company, launched an Indiegogo campaign, and today, Jibo is ready to engage its owners. Most smart machines, such as phones, distract people from one another. "We all know this image of the dinner table where everybody's staring at their devices," Breazeal says. Not so with Jibo. "He really feels like he's part of the family," she says.
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