As the rest of the world is still perfecting humanoid robots, robot maker EngineAI is also exploring unusual robot forms that you would expect to see in sci-fi films like The Electric State: one with an integrated head and torso. It is like the robot version of Mike Wazowski from Monsters, Inc.
And oh, yes, it has a single “eye,” too, like a cyclops, and also like Mike Wazowski. It has a pair of “rabbit ears,” presumably antennae, much like Overwatch’s D.Va mech. But obviously, it looks nothing as menacing as D.Va’s ride. The SA-X, as it is called, is more like Mike Wazowski: adorable and harmless, for now.
The appeal is in how little it tries to look like us. There’s no separate human-like face perched on a torso. Instead, that single eye gives the compact upper body a focal point, while the ears add a distinctive silhouette. Put it in a sci-fi film, and you probably wouldn’t question its presence. I imagine it’d be pretty surreal seeing it outside (of a sci-fi film).
EngineAI also has another character-like robot called S2, which is presented as a service robot. Think visitor reception, exhibition spaces, and cultural attractions, where an approachable appearance can be useful in getting people to engage. The S2 looks it is built on the SA-X.
That makes the design worth talking about beyond its resemblance to an animated monster. A robot greeting visitors need not look like a mechanical person. Giving it its own appearance could make meeting it part of the attraction.
For now, there are no SA-X specifications to dig into, so its appearance is doing the talking. And frankly, it has plenty to say. I would much rather meet this little cyclops in an exhibition hall than another robot trying very hard to look human, or worse, one that looks like a Dalek.
Images: EngineAI [CH].
