Good news, robot lovers! It just got a little bit easier to buy Jibo, the HAL-like family robot developed by an MIT professor. The cute (but slightly uncanny) little character is now one of the most successful IndieGoGo campaigns ever — it’s in the top eight — having raised nearly $US1.5 million in less than three weeks. So the company’s offering a new deal.
Now, you can buy the Jibo Home Edition for $US200 up front and $US350 when it ships some time in 2016. The new total price of $US550 is only slightly more expensive than the early bird special of $US100 up front and $US400 at shipping. However, you can still get a good deal if you pay a full $US500. With that option you owe nothing at shipping.
The maths is a little bit confusing, but Jibo promises more deals will crop up as the project continues to crush its initial $US100,000 goal. If they raise $US1.5 million, Jibo will host four hackatons around the country and offer an extra charging dock for every Jibo at just $US50. At $US1.75 million, they will give everyone the option to choose the colour of their Jibo — but only if that colour is either black or white. No matter what the final number is, though, it’s good news to see so many people excited about robots.