▲Varram System's mobile smart home robot “Appbot-Riley”

Korea's Varram System (www.varram.com) is raising some dust in with their smart home robots that can monitor the home, at anytime and from anyplace. Varram System's mobile smart home robot appbot is being supplied not only in Korea by the telecom company LG U +, but also by the American distribution giant Wal-Mart and Infiniti Digital.

Varram was started in 2008 as a Korean venture company to “exploit creative thinking and new technology to lead this ever-changing world.” In line with this spirit, they have been developing smart home robots, embedded systems, and image recognition technology.

The appbot is a hybrid of “application” and “robot,” and is ased on a decade’s worth of creative ideas and experience in robot development. The company has tried to avoid complicated, unmanageable features, instead focusing on technologies that customers need. In 2010, they developed a two-way wireless cameral color tracking sensor CTS & DRC; in 2012, a caterpillar style camera robot; in 2013, an English teaching robot using augmented reality technology; and in 2015 the first home CCTV robot appbot link. The successful lauching of this product saw export sales to Europe and the US reaching $400,000. In 2016, the company increased its security and functionality features and released the second generation of the appbot, “Appbot-Riley.” This product garnered crowdfunding of $170,000 in Indiegogo, with 2016 exports alone reaching 10,000 units and total exports worth $1 million. Last year, the company signed an export agreement worth $9 million with Infiniti Digital, a US distributor, for the Appbot-Riley home camera robot; as a result, this year 130,000 units will be shipped to this company alone.

Appbot-Riley is a smart home robot monitoring device – a sort of roving CCTV. Home cameras currently on the market need to be attached to something, in the form of a CCTV or IP camera, thereby limiting its ability to monitor every area of the home. Appbot is a new product that circumvents these limitations by combining the mobility of robots with the convenience of IP cameras. Appbot is easily accessible by smartphone to allow users who are outside of their homes to monitor their children or pets inside the home in real time. If necessary, it will also take close-up photos. Importantly, Appbot-Riley is safe from hacking. The company has addressed privacy concerns by employing a proprietary hacking prevention solution, dual encryption, and image encryption. In addition, as an added security enhancement, only those terminals registered directly from the home/building are authenticated.

A two-way voice call is possible while watching the video, allowing it to be used as a video call function. The full HD images and HD videos can be viewed and stored on a smartphone. In addition, it provides comfort to users with its intruder detection alarm function using motion recognition and facial detection technology. With its powerful IR (infrared) LED, visibility is possible even in darkness. The robot can also be easily controlled. At night, it can detect intruders by using its infrared LED and motion detection functions.

The automatic charging function allows continuous use without the need to worry about the battery, and 360 degree monitoring even during charging is possible.
In particular, since the automatic charging station of the Appbot is designed to be able to rotate 360 degrees, it can be docked effortlessly, no matter which way the robot moves. This rotary charging station technology secured a first-ever patent in Korea and abroad.

The system is also equipped with technology to help the robot get back up if it falls. Because Riley operates on silicon tires, it can run smoothly on wooden floors, carpets, laundry, and even cables. Even if it runs into a wall or another obstacle, it is easy to set it straight with the push of a button, even outside of the home. It is easy to install even for beginners.

This product consists of an Appbot-Riley, a charging station, an adapter, a cable, and a user’s manual. Users can choose a color of their preference from basic, orange, light green, blue, red and others. It comes with a non-toxic silicone belt. It can be used for 2 hours after a 4-hour charge. The weight of the robot is 300g and the size is 120 × 120 × 100mm.

With their unique technology, Varram System began exporting their products in May 2015, and has since attracted a great deal of attention from the world’s smart home robot market. This company is continuing to develop new models and producing prototypes with their innovative ideas. With their never-ending product ideas, they have a product line-up plan that includes a new appbot and smart home robot with expanded features. They are now planning to launch a pet-specific product, and a large-scale app-robot that can freely cross a door threshold is in the works.