Misty Comes Alive Today
The dynamic force that is a sophisticated interactive robot performing useful tasks comes to market today.
Anyone following these pages knows that Misty Robotics has a dream of enabling everyone to be able to solve problems with robots — wrenching the arcane technology world of robots out of the hands of the few thousand capable roboticists, globally, who have historically been called upon to deliver robot solutions to the market — and delivering a sophisticated, low-cost, moldable piece of robot-clay to every business person, educator, dreamer, inventor, innovator who can lay their hands on a software developer to create a robot solution that solves real-world problems.
Since we’ve launched, our customers (all non-roboticists and people who could never dream they could deliver robot solutions to the market) are fast at work creating solutions for the elderly, disabled children, children in hospitals, office workers, office managers, parents at home and other people who could be served by a robot. These solutions can be found in our Solution Hub — and it keeps growing each month. Some of them have reached the point where they’re actively selling these solutions.
But then COVID-19 hit.
And hit hard.
Eldercare facilities: locked down. Schools: shut down. Children’s Hospitals: in crisis mode.
So, Misty’s useful work has been delayed by the brutal health pandemic sweeping the globe.
Which meant it was time for the Misty Robotics team to jump in and create a solution for the present crisis — a solution that can enable offices, schools, clinics, eldercare facilities, and others to create a level of comfort for their employees, customers, and visitors that is required at the present time.
We’ve created our own skill for Misty (a.k.a. “robot app”) called the Temp Screening Assistant.
The Misty autonomous temperature screening robot is a dynamic, engaging and fun solution to a Covid-era problem. Typically stationed at building and office entrances, Misty automatically engages with visitors and employees to gather contactless temperature readings and answers to standard covid exposure questions. Misty is friendly and consistently polite with an appearance and personality that transforms an awkward fact-of-recent-life into a surprising and novel experience (how fitting for the “novel” coronavirus!).
We’re announcing the Misty Temp Screening Assistant today and taking orders for pilots delivered in mid-July. Initial supplies are limited because “temperature checking” of human beings has created, shall we say, “gooey” supply chains. Our first customers will be innovators who don’t want to pay a human to stand at a door with a thermometer all day and, instead, want a friendly, pleasing, dynamic robot to interact with their employees and visitors.
The Misty Temp Screening Assistant is Dynamic
When’s the last time you walked into a front office or a foyer with a “reception” tablet or kiosk that asked you to come over and have your temperature checked? When’s the last time it told you to “have a good day” or “grab your umbrella [because there’s rain afoot]”?
I’ll bet you’re going to say “never”. At least that’s my experience. Most of those reception tablets/kiosks are pretty sterile to interact with. They’re boring. Purely utilitarian. There’s no character in there. No fun. No joy. No delight and surprise.
When’s the last time that reception tablet looked up at you, you of variable height and asked you a question? When’s the last time the operator of that tablet could just go to a website and enter a new question that needs to be asked?
Again, I’ll bet you say “never”.
That’s because Misty the robot is dynamic. She’s got all kinds of built-in sensors and motors that enable her to interact visually and verbally with different people of different sizes, at different moments of walking into the office or building. She sees you coming and responds.
Oh — and did I mention she speaks one of 25 languages? When’s the last time that reception tablet did that?!?
What does this dynamism deliver? It delivers a worker who doesn’t get bored and a worker who won’t get cranky at visitors or employees who might be frustrated at being scanned. It delivers constant friendliness and cheer. It delivers customer delight for all of your visitors who experience just a little bit of joy in a very scary, depressing, virus-filled day.
And, she’s automated and contactless
It’d be pretty lame if she wasn’t able to do most of the same things those tablets/kiosks can do — otherwise, you’d have to station a human babysitter right next to her. Robot eye-candy only goes so far, Misty has to be useful too.
We scanned the globe looking at “thermopile sensors”, and “infrared sensors”, and “thermal cameras” and “thermal arrays”, looking for just the right sensor. We wanted one that was, per Goldilocks, “just right”: not that inaccurate stuff of cheap Chinese thermometers that under-reads a person’s temperature and is often off by multiple degrees and not that ridiculously expensive thermal stuff they use in airports and subway stations to scan thousands at a time. Nope, we wanted one that was just right — one that was highly accurate (within +/- 0.5 degrees Celsius), one that met the FDA’s temperature-taking standards, and one that was adaptable by software and one that was affordable enough to not blow the office budget.
We went even further, creating a known-good temperature source — called a “blackbody” — that sits next to the person whose temperature is being taken to create the “known-good reference temperature”. Then, we look at the facial region of the person being scanned to zero in on the forehead. One-one-thousand; two-one-thousand and, presto, Misty knows whether the person has an elevated temperature and, therefore, whether the person needs a secondary screening to make sure there is a good reason for them to not enter. Like most good automation systems, SMS and other text-based notifications go to the proper individuals in the office or building.
Of course, there’s a configuration and administrative website where you can monitor results, configure basic settings, configure custom questions (with an upgraded version of software), and interact with the “business side” of Misty. And, she’ll be getting software updates regularly — just as she’s been getting for the last 9 months since her introduction to the market.
Build Employee and Customer Trust While Delighting!
Human thermometer holders create trust for your employees and visitors for sure, but they can be super expensive. I’m betting they’ll also get pretty bored on the job after oh, say, 3 hours (not to mention 3 days, 3 weeks, 3 months). Because she asks the COVID-19 symptom questions, you get a deeper layer of evaluation of the person entering your facility — creating more trust for those already inside.
Does that temperature screening reception tablet really create much trust? If they’re not using sophisticated thermal technology, not likely. Even if they are, does something so sterile, so non-interactive create trust?
We don’t think so.
We believe Misty is the perfect blend of dynamism and automation that creates a deeper level of trust for your employees and customers in a manner that absolutely delights them.
Coming to an Office Near You Soon
The Misty Temp Screening Assistant will be available in July at a price comparable to a temperature-checking kiosk and visitor greeting systems. When compared to a human holding a thermometer all day, Misty works for a fraction of the hourly cost.
Because our first batch is limited in size, order yours quickly — based on how many people are checking symptoms they’ll go fast!
