Luwu's XGO-Rider Is a Raspberry Pi CM4-Powered Companion Robot with ChatGPT and Gen AI Smarts
Company also unveils a lower-cost BBC micro:bit-powered alternative, lacking the AI capabilities of its more expensive sibling.
Educational electronics firm Luwu Intelligence Technology has announced a compact wheeled robot designed to act as an artificially-intelligent companion for your desk" the XGO-Rider, powered by a BBC micro:bit or Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 (CM4).
"Compared to other wheeled-legged robots on the market, XGO-Rider is compact and agile, a new companion on your desk," claims Luwu's Liu PengFei of the company's latest robot design. "Additionally, XGO-Rider is competitively priced, offering a cost-effective choice of wheeled-legged robot for consumers, robotics, and programming enthusiasts."
The XGO-Rider is available in two variants, the company explains. The more expensive version is built around the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 and boasts artificial intelligence capabilities, including integration with OpenAI's ChatGPT large language model for natural-language interaction with generative artificial intelligence (gen AI) capabilities plus integrated gesture recognition, face detection, pose estimation, and more. A cheaper model swaps the CM4 for a BBC micro:bit, and is designed for more direct control using a visual programming environment.
The CM4 variant includes a five-megapixel camera, full-color 2" TFT display mounted at the front of the robot, a 3W speaker, and dual MEMS microphones. The BBC micro:bit version drops the display, using the board's built-in LED matrix instead, along with the speaker and camera, but retains the microphones. In both cases, the robot balances on two wheels driven by brushless motors — and delivers, the company claims, around two hours of use "under mixed conditions" per charge of its integrated battery.
This isn't Luwu's first shot at crowdfunding a robot. Back in January last year the company launched a campaign for the XGO 2, a quadrupedal robot with a back-mounted arm, which followed a successful campaign for the considerably smaller XGO Mini — both of which riffed on the company's XGO design.
The XGO-Rider is currently funding on Kickstarter, priced at $249 for the micro:bit and $299 for the CM4 variant for "super early bird" backers — both of which represent a claimed 40 per cent discount on the device's planned retail price. All hardware is expected to ship this August, Luwu says.
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