The word of the day is zoomorphize. It is a word that can be used to describe people’s behavior when interacting with robots. It takes just a few seconds to slip into a world where a robot seems to have lifelike features. This was a recent revelation upon encountering delivery robots on the streets of Tucson. This wasn’t the first time it happened to this author, as seen in the brief video highlighted below in the Korner.
Thanks to the Broadband Forum, my employer, for supporting this newsletter. The content, views, and opinions expressed herein are not those of the Broadband Forum.
Delivery Robot – Broadband Network Parallels (LinkedIn)
The Viodi camera recently captured the tail end of what appears to be a courtship dance between two delivery robots. This scene reminds us of the work Bern Grush and the Urban Robotics Foundation are doing. They aim to harmonize and standardize robot-to-robot and robot-to-human interactions on sidewalks and associated infrastructure.
From One Adventure to the Next – Melbourne, Australia
The chance encounter with delivery robots in the wild was thanks to the location of the Broadband Forum Fall Meeting in lovely Tucson, Arizona. One attribute of this meeting that made it special was the demonstration of OB-UDPST.
That’s a lot of jumbled letters to say that it is a next-generation speed test that is a must-have for measuring gig+ connections. More than speed, it measures capacity, providing insight into latency, packet loss, and reliability. Regulatory bodies should consider this open-source solution and the associated TR-471 standard as the method for verifying connections. Stay tuned for the videos about OB-UDPST.
In the meantime, watch this video with Guy Scott, CTO of the Australian wholesale network provider, NBN. In this video, he encourages industry professionals to attend the Broadband Forum’s BASe event and Spring Meeting (March 23rd to March 27th) in Melbourne. NBN brings a unique perspective, as its nationwide network, which spans technologies from fiber to DOCSIS to Fixed Wireless Access to satellite, serves 100+ retailers.
Magnes Smart Shoe – A Step Towards Regaining Independence
Whether a robot or a telecom network, the ability to sense, think, and act is the basis for automation. The question is whether the person is in or on the loop. The Magnes NUSHU X Smart Shoe literally puts the human in the loop. Simply, by sensing, thinking, and signaling it helps provide the stability one needs when it has been lost due to stroke or Parkinson’s disease.
Some Chirps and Short Thoughts
- Thanks to Pepecoin Hawaii for pointing out the parallels of the current class action lawsuit [which Viodi is automatically part of] to what happened to many ISPs a decade ago. Just like that action caused lots of friction for the ISPs, the transition to paid accounts caused a loss of time and content for Viodi.
- This highlight reel provides a glimpse of the hard work, camaraderie, and excitement of the Broadband Forum’s Innovation Demonstrations at last month’s Network X.
- A thought-provoking LinkedIn article explores another way to use the sensing and communications capabilities of delivery robots. In addition to delivering bites or bottoms, he predicts robots will provide a new advertising channel in 2026.
The Korner – A Robot Alternative for Those Who Need a Care-Free Pet
Here metaCat, here metaCat….
As seen in the above video, filmed at CES 2025, it only takes a few seconds to zoomorphize one of Elephant Robotics’ lifelike robots. Their metaAnimal series of robots targets those who want companionship without the hassles of a pet. The target market for these pet alternatives includes seniors living alone, as well as Dementia & Alzheimer’s patients.
This video points to a strange, uncharted, science-fiction world where the barrier between machine and mammal vanishes almost instantly.
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