Painful to set up
Enabot
While the EBO X is designed like a premium product and has plenty of high-tech features to back up its looks, things quickly went downhill as I started the setup process. EBO X doesn’t use its own voice command system — so the first thing you’ll need to do is sync it with Alexa and enable a dedicated skill set.
This shouldn’t be a challenge, but I ran into a few hiccups that resulted in me updating my EBO smartphone app multiple times before it finally let me access all the Alexa commands. I expected this to run as seamlessly as it does with other smart home products, but, unfortunately, it was a clunky and frustrating process.
Once you’ve synced your Alexa account with EBO, the EBO X smartphone app gives you a few tips on how to use Alexa to access all its features. It’s not as comprehensive as you’d expect for a $999 device, and I was largely left to fend for myself after installing the app.
It would have been a much better user experience if the app held my hand and walked me through all the robot’s features. EBO X can perform dozens of unique tasks, and trying to figure out how to access all these on my own was unnecessarily frustrating. I wish the smartphone app would launch straight into a tutorial — similar to how things work with most robot vacuums or video doorbells.
Instead, I was left flipping through various menus and haphazardly entering tutorials as I encountered them.
Despite the steep learning curve and lackluster onboarding, the smartphone app works well and gives you incredible control over EBO X. But if you’re not tech-savvy or don’t have the patience to dive through dozens of menus, EBO X will leave you frustrated within minutes of unboxing it.
Design and Features
Ebo is about the size of a baseball. The LED “eyes” of Ebo are well protected behind the large black plastic front and the “nose” is the camera. The underside of Ebo has two charging contacts and a reset button. The two silicone tracks are well protected from dirt and hair. I have yet to have an issue with anything getting stuck in them. They are also quite adorably covered in tiny paw prints.
The interchangeable hats and outfits add a bit of pop and variety to the simple robot. It is important to note that only a couple of hats have laser built-in so if that is a key feature for you, you may not be able to use some of the more fun decorative hats. There is also a hole in some of the hats to insert the included silicone feathers. I found the silicone feathers were cute but they were too easy for my cat to remove. Within 30 seconds of leaving my cats unsupervised, one of them pulled the feather out and ate the top off it. Since it is made of silicone it didn’t harm him but for those who know their cats are chewers, the feathers may not be a good idea.
The charging dock is nice and compact. The tower in the back is for charging the optional fitness tracker collar. Ebo is self-docking which is super convenient, all you have to do is plug in the charging station and set him down on the ground. He will roll around and locate the base and back into it once it finds it. One thing I really like is Ebo is very expressive. He has different eye emotions for different events. The red Wi-Fi eyes above indicate he isn’t connected to the Wi-Fi. When he’s charging his eyes turn into a bar which shows the battery percentage. As he roams around, his eyes form arrows in the direction he is traveling. It is quite cute to watch him emote through his eyes. Ebo also is quite talkative, he says his name in different manners to convey different meanings. When he’s removed from the charging dock he sounds excited, lost Wi-Fi slow, and sad. Ebo’s volume is adjusted in the app settings along with turning his eyes on and off.
There are a couple of ways to interact with Ebo. You can use the live stream camera and the app to control him with a joist stick or use the app to schedule the autonomous mode so Ebo plays with your cats on his own. I enjoyed using the app to control him the best. It was a lot of fun to chase the cats around with Ebo and use the laser hat to taunt them. One thing to note is Ebo works best on hard surfaces. While he does work on carpeting, he often accidentally rolls over and gets stuck either on his back or his front. As you can see above my cat is quite happy with his “kill” and has no intention of helping me out and rolling Ebo over onto his tracks. You can adjust how fast he moves in the app which does help but doesn’t mitigate the issue altogether. Considering it’s a small self-propelled robot I have yet to burn out the battery while playing with my cats. It did die on its own once when it got stuck on its back while I was using it from work and I gave up on trying to right it. However, it only took a couple of hours to recharge once I got home and put it back on its charger physically.
Painful to set up
Enabot
While the EBO X is designed like a premium product and has plenty of high-tech features to back up its looks, things quickly went downhill as I started the setup process. EBO X doesn’t use its own voice command system — so the first thing you’ll need to do is sync it with Alexa and enable a dedicated skill set.
This shouldn’t be a challenge, but I ran into a few hiccups that resulted in me updating my EBO smartphone app multiple times before it finally let me access all the Alexa commands. I expected this to run as seamlessly as it does with other smart home products, but, unfortunately, it was a clunky and frustrating process.
Once you’ve synced your Alexa account with EBO, the EBO X smartphone app gives you a few tips on how to use Alexa to access all its features. It’s not as comprehensive as you’d expect for a $999 device, and I was largely left to fend for myself after installing the app.
It would have been a much better user experience if the app held my hand and walked me through all the robot’s features. EBO X can perform dozens of unique tasks, and trying to figure out how to access all these on my own was unnecessarily frustrating. I wish the smartphone app would launch straight into a tutorial — similar to how things work with most robot vacuums or video doorbells.
Instead, I was left flipping through various menus and haphazardly entering tutorials as I encountered them.
Despite the steep learning curve and lackluster onboarding, the smartphone app works well and gives you incredible control over EBO X. But if you’re not tech-savvy or don’t have the patience to dive through dozens of menus, EBO X will leave you frustrated within minutes of unboxing it.
Privacy and safety considerations
As with any smart device, privacy, and safety are worthwhile considerations. With user privacy and control in mind, EBO X can be controlled through the app; you can manually press down the camera, or press the privacy button if you want surveillance to stop. You can rest assured that you can sign a privacy agreement when saving face information to keep it stored locally.
Though it has obstacle avoidance and edge detection, it would have more challenges in homes with edges or heights with a 7 mm drop or carpets over 5 mm in height. Now, if only EBO X could climb stairs, it’d be the perfect family companion robot.
Easy on the eyes
Enabot
The first thing you’ll notice about the EBO X is its gorgeous design. Essentially a sphere with two wheels and a pop-up camera, it looks futuristic, adorable, and incredibly well-built. It also benefits from a front display with two customizable “eyes” — making the little robot appear a bit more human than it should.
On top of the EBO X is its 4K camera. Not only is this stabilized for smooth viewing while in motion, but it can be rotated up and down to help you find the best viewing angle. If privacy is a concern, you can angle it all the way to the ground. Better yet, you can push the entire camera into the body of the EBO X — creating a streamlined appearance for the robot and ensuring nothing is being recorded.
Enabot
A bunch of futuristic bezels, edges, and accents round out the EBO X body, making it a truly good-looking smart home gadget. Its two wheels are capable of rolling around on tile and hardwood, though you’ll notice a bit of slowdown when traversing thick carpet. EBO X does a great job of navigating, stopping automatically before it rolls into an obstacle and repositioning itself as needed.
EBO X is self-stabilizing, so as it cruises around your home, it’ll automatically adjust its positioning to stay upright. You can even disable or enable this self-righting ability at the press of a button — which can be useful if you need to point its camera toward the ceiling.
When not in use, EBO X will automatically head back to its charging dock.
Wrap Up
I find Enabot’s EBO Air quite convenient whenever I want to check in on the pets or someone in the house. Should people buy it? Sure, why not. It’s nice to have around with it being so small.
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EBO X, a smart guardian for your home
Today’s pace of life means we spend much of our time working or sleeping, leaving little time to truly connect with loved ones. This situation raises concerns about the health and safety of our family members, especially when we cannot be present to supervise them. Enabot has proposed to address this problem with the development of EBO X.
Connection and security in a single device
EBO X is an intelligent family robot that positions itself as a smart guardian for the home. Its main objective is to provide companionship and care for your loved ones, as well as guarantee their safety. With the ChatGPT integration (something coming in the near future, as I haven’t been able to test it yet), users can interact with EBO X and receive responses via EboGPT. This feature makes it easy to ask questions and get useful information.
What I have been able to test is its integration with Alexa, and it works perfectly (although it will be even better when the Skill is activated in Spain, since it will add some functions).
A smart home on the move
The intelligence of EBO X is enhanced by its ability to move autonomously and precisely thanks to V-SLAM technology. This robot can explore and map your home efficiently, allowing it to move around easily and without hindrance. Equipped with two direct motors on the wheels, EBO X is capable of moving with agility and performing 360 degree turns without difficulty.
Communication and security
EBO X’s 4K stabilized camera and adjustable vertical angle offer an exceptional viewing experience. In addition, it has an 8-megapixel low-light sensor and a wide 106-degree field of view. This makes it possible to capture sharp, colorful images even in low light conditions. In addition to its ability to capture special moments, EBO X is also a communication device. Through the EBO HOME app, you can have two-way conversations with your family, even if you are far from home. Your loved ones can also call you directly through EBO X, making it easy to communicate at any time.
personalized care
EBO X is designed to offer personalized care to your family members, even when you cannot be physically present. Can detect falls in the elderly and send alerts for help. Besides, if a child is crying, EBO X can detect it and make an application call to inform you. You can even schedule medication reminders for family members and EBO X will deliver them via facial recognition and voice messages.
The best speakers for music
In addition to its care and security capabilities, EBO X also offers entertainment and fun for the whole family. With the integration of Alexa Voice Control and Harman AudioEFX, this robot can interact with other smart devices in your home and play high-quality music. Its charming design, agile movement and dynamic lighting effects add a touch of fun and joy to your home.
EBO X is a Smart Home Robot Unveiled at CES 2023
Laura McQuarrie — January 5, 2023 — Tech
References: digitaltrends
Enabot’s EBO X smart home robot debuted at CES 2023, introducing a self-balancing, two-wheeled companion for the whole household. This Consumer Electronics Show robot innovation is equipped with a two-way communication system through its 4K camera, quality Harman speakers and the ability to sync with Alexa devices. This smart home robot helps to provide interaction around the home, as well as peace of mind while people are away with security alerts.
The EBO X is like a smart home hub on wheels and it is larger than previously released robots like the EBO Air. This all-in-one companion helps with everything from at-home entertainment to remote communication and it boasts more sophisticated computer vision, better navigation and intelligent assistant capabilities to serve families better.
EBO X was chosen as an honoree in the CES 2023 Innovation Awards.
Trend Themes
1. Smart Home Robots with 2-way Communication Systems — Innovative smart home robots like EBO X with a 2-way communication system provide an opportunity for the development of home robots with advanced remote communication abilities.
2. Self-balancing Two-wheeled Smart Home Robots — As demonstrated by EBO X, the development of self-balancing two-wheeled smart home robots provides an opportunity for more mobility and versatility within the home.
3. All-in-one Smart Home Robots — The development of all-in-one smart home robots like EBO X offers an opportunity for more sophisticated computer vision, better navigation, and intelligent assistant capabilities to serve families better.
Industry Implications
1. Consumer Electronics — The consumer electronics industry can invest in producing and improving smart home robots with advanced features for at-home entertainment and remote communication.
2. Home Security — Home security companies can work with smart home robot manufacturers like Enabot to improve the security alert features of smart home robots to better serve people while they are away from home.
3. Personal Assistants — The personal assistant industry can invest in the development of all-in-one smart home robots like EBO X with intelligent assistant capabilities to serve families better.
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Specifications
- Infrared laser
- AI tracking recognition and shooting function
- 16GB external memory, supports up to 256GB
- 2.4GHz + 5.8GHz WiFi network frequency band connection
- Infrared night vision login
- Remote control + real-time image transmission recording
- High-performance TOF obstacle avoidance
- Automatic patrol
- Automatic recharging
- Automatic recording whole-house cruise video (1080p/30fps)
- Dynamic Detection Alarm
- Customizable automatic patrol time slots
- 24H fixed-point security recording
- Abnormal video alarm/message push
- Brushless silent motor
- Max speed 1m/s
- Anti-drop function
- Super soundless, brushless motor technology enables the machine to move silently
- AI mode, recognizes objects, automatically follow and shoot clips
- Charge time: 1 hour
- Standby time: 2 hours
Verdict
Enabot
The Enabot EBO X gets a lot right. It’s built with premium materials, it offers a robust camera, and the ability to sync with Alexa gives you access to tons of useful commands and integrations. And compared to its rival, Amazon Astro, it’s much more affordable.
But for $999, it’s difficult to recommend the gadget to most homeowners. Instead of opting for EBO X, you could snag an Echo Studio smart speaker, a handful of Blink Mini indoor cameras, a Blink Floodlight, and still have money left over. You’d essentially have access to everything offered by EBO X, but with devices that were built from the ground up for a singular purpose — and execute that purpose better than EBO X.
Conversely, if you love the idea of a smart robot that can follow you around the home or be sent patrolling while you’re away, EBO X is a great option. Smaller homes will likely be better served by a few smart cameras and a smart speaker, but if you don’t want to kit out your sprawling abode with dozens of different cameras and smart speakers, you can bundle them all together with EBO X — and bring them with you from room to room.
EBO X is a well-rounded smart robot that does a bit of everything. If you don’t mind the price or finicky setup process and love the novelty it offers, then consider making it a permanent member of your home.
What is the Enabot Camera?
Credit:
Reviewed / Janelle Leeson
- Model: EBO Air
- Color: White
- Weight: 11.5 ounces
- Dimensions: 3.78 x 3.78 x 3.5 inches
- Field of view: 118-degree wide-angle lens
- Resolution: 1080P with night vision
- Memory: Built-in 32GB SD card,16GB external memory, support 256GB at maximum
- Connectivity: 2.4G+5.8G WIFI
- Max speed: 1m/s
- Power: 5.0V
The Enabot Pet Camera is a combined smart pet camera and pet entertainer, all in one. It has a companion application where you can access the live-stream video, edit play schedules, manually control the device, and access and edit pictures and videos.
The specs can be scaled up or down based on budget and desired use, with the EBO Air boasting the full range of specs from infrared night vision to laser functions and anti-drop technology. There are even options to select scheduled (or random) interactions with your pets—like pet tracking and a moonwalk laser play setting.
The EBO Air couldn’t have arrived at a better time—with one cat recovering in a cone of shame we needed all the eyes we could get on our frisky felines, whether we were in the next room or stepping out for a few hours. Plus, Enabot cameras are an attractive solution to home security, without the need for a camera in every room.
Painful to set up
Enabot
While the EBO X is designed like a premium product and has plenty of high-tech features to back up its looks, things quickly went downhill as I started the setup process. EBO X doesn’t use its own voice command system — so the first thing you’ll need to do is sync it with Alexa and enable a dedicated skill set.
This shouldn’t be a challenge, but I ran into a few hiccups that resulted in me updating my EBO smartphone app multiple times before it finally let me access all the Alexa commands. I expected this to run as seamlessly as it does with other smart home products, but, unfortunately, it was a clunky and frustrating process.
Once you’ve synced your Alexa account with EBO, the EBO X smartphone app gives you a few tips on how to use Alexa to access all its features. It’s not as comprehensive as you’d expect for a $999 device, and I was largely left to fend for myself after installing the app.
It would have been a much better user experience if the app held my hand and walked me through all the robot’s features. EBO X can perform dozens of unique tasks, and trying to figure out how to access all these on my own was unnecessarily frustrating. I wish the smartphone app would launch straight into a tutorial — similar to how things work with most robot vacuums or video doorbells.
Instead, I was left flipping through various menus and haphazardly entering tutorials as I encountered them.
Despite the steep learning curve and lackluster onboarding, the smartphone app works well and gives you incredible control over EBO X. But if you’re not tech-savvy or don’t have the patience to dive through dozens of menus, EBO X will leave you frustrated within minutes of unboxing it.
What I didn’t like about the Enabot EBO Air
Credit:
Reviewed / Janelle Leeson
The battery life and docking capabilities
The battery of the Enabot is short-lived and it’s not the best at finding its docking station. So, if you’re relying on the Enabot to ease your anxious woes during a late night at the office, you could be out of luck if it spent the last hour wobbling around aimlessly sadly muttering “Ebo,” rather than docking to charge.
The good news is that Enabot will send a push notification when the device is lost. So, if you can spare a few minutes, the Enabot can be manually driven back to its docking station to charge.
Short interaction times
Perhaps it’s because the makers of Enabot know the device’s battery life isn’t suitable for prolonged use, but the automated settings have oddly short durations. If scheduling automated playtime with your pet, interactions are limited to five minutes or less. And while the cruise security setting with “pet recognition recording” is a brilliant concept, the EBO Air can only patrol for three minutes before returning to its docking station.
The laser
The Enabot is essentially eye level when my cats crouch down to sniff and watch the gadget. It shoots a stationary laser about a two-foot distance, coming dangerously close to shining the laser light directly into their eyes. My cats had no reactions to the short-lived laser sessions. So, not revisiting the laser play sequence was just fine with everyone.
The clunky app interface
While Enabot is IOS- and Android-friendly, it isn’t compatible with other smart home assistants including Google, Alexa, or Siri. Plus, the application itself could be more intuitive and cleaner. There are a lot of settings that I will never use—like the option to schedule a reminder that it’s raining outside and I need my umbrella. Or a memo pad to take notes.
The good news is that the most intuitive feature is manually driving the device, which turned out to be my favorite and most useful feature. Without mention of the companion application features in the user manual, most settings took trial and error to figure out.
Diverse Home Entertainment Experience
To be a truly interactive companion that serves the happiness of the family, the EBO X bundles up Alexa Built-in services, premium sound quality, and exciting light effects to provide fun for the whole family.
By logging into your Alexa account, the EBO X can easily connect to any Alexa service, allowing you to control IOT devices at home. When you’re streaming your favorite music, the dedicated speaker powered by Harman AudioEFX offers you a wonderful audio experience. At the same time, the dynamic lighting effect will change with the rhythm of the song and even changes in the environment.
The EBO X is Enabot’s latest effort evolved from the innovative momentum driven by Enabot’s previous EBO S and EBO Air line-ups. With the new product, Enabot is now taking its family robotics offerings to the next level, integrating more advanced computer vision, smarter navigation, and robust intelligent assistant services to promote love, companionship, and sharing.
Connection & auto charging
Setting up your EBO X is very simple, it will automatically stand by when it is first activated, all you need to do is open the EBO APP, click Add Device and show it the QR code. Once the robot is bound to your phone, enter your home WIFI password and you can access and control it at any time. You can also sign in to your Amazon account to complete the binding to activate the Alexa voice assistant, so you can talk to EBO X to control the IoT devices at home.
There is also a compact charging station with a refined design in the package. You can place it at the corner, and just make sure there are no obstacles within 1.5 meters in front and on both sides of the charging station.
When you have finished all the preparations, you can customize the appearance of the robot in the APP, there are many fantastic lighting themes for options. You can also adjust the brightness of the RGB light and the rhythm of the waist light. These special lights give the robot a visualized expression so it feels like we can actually feel its emotions.
Jack of all trades, master of none
Enabot
EBO X can do a lot of things, but it doesn’t excel at all of them. For example, you’ll find speakers throughout the homebot, allowing it to act as a smart speaker. But since the robot is so low to the ground, the audio becomes muffled when on carpet.
The same can be said of the 4K camera — there’s no denying it captures incredible footage, but the upward viewing angle is a bit awkward. It’s great for tracking pets, but recording humans is undoubtedly strange from its ground-level vantage point.
Mapping your home and using EBO as a security guard works well enough, but it’s hard to shake the feeling that a few dedicated security cameras would work better for most homes. You could literally purchase a dozen indoor cameras for the price of one EBO X, and you’d probably end up with a more robust system.
Still, the novelty of having so many smart home features wrapped into a single robot is appealing. Combined with its premium design, it’s well-equipped to serve as your robotic guardian and keep your home safe. Few devices serve so many purposes, and even fewer are as durable and well-designed as EBO X.
Camera
The EBO Air can take snapshots of whatever you’re looking at, but the quality isn’t going to blow anyone away. Although the resolution is 1915 x 1080, no megapixel information is provided. By looking at the image quality, I’d guess around 2 MP.
The front side of EBO Air with webcam.
The video quality, on the other hand, is marginally better. It records in 1080p at 30fps, which is excellent. The disadvantage is that when you download the video to your device’s internal storage, it will run at 1 frame per second. It’s unclear why it does this, but you’ll have to view it directly from the EBO application to get the correct framerate.
Take it as you will, but the good news is that you can at least see and monitor what’s going on in the house.