Your AI assistant has always lived in a screen. Pop it into a little home robot and it can hear you, see the room, wander about and talk back in whatever voice you like. Brilliant fun when you're in, and an extra pair of eyes when you're out. A proper homebody: never goes out, always keeps watch.
*The Rider-Pi has wheels. Please don't tell it.
Works with AI assistants like Grok Bot (not affiliated).
Chat to it like you'd chat to your assistant, except now it can trot over, have a look and tell you what it sees.
Ask a question from across the room. It hears you through its mic and answers out loud.
"What's the weather doing?"Ask it to tag along and it'll trundle after you from room to room, chatting as it goes.
"Come with me to the kitchen."It looks through its camera and tells you what's there. Handy for those "where did I leave…" moments.
"Can you see my glasses?"Some pets love a robot buddy; some are deeply suspicious. Either way, it's great telly.
"Go and say hello to Biscuit."Pick the voice it speaks with: calm butler, cheery sidekick, grumpy pirate. Change it whenever you like.
"Talk like a pirate today."Have it say good morning with the weather, your calendar and a terrible joke to start the day.
"Wake me up gently at 7."Out of the house? Your homebody keeps an eye on things. Check in from your phone and have your bot look around for you. Think helpful friend popping round, not security guard.
Message it from your phone and ask how things look at home.
Ask it to wander through the rooms it can reach and report back on anything that looks off.
"Show me the front door." It goes and looks, then sends you the picture.
Each one has a camera and can be controlled over Wi-Fi. They go up in price and in how much they can do on their own.
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Price band 1 of 3: budget kit
Needs a Raspberry Pi and batteries (not included)
Price band 2 of 3: mid-range kit
Needs a Raspberry Pi (not included)
Price band 3 of 3: ready to go
Raspberry Pi built in, nothing extra to buy
Price bands: £ budget, ££ mid-range, £££ premium. Prices change, so check today's price on Amazon. Illustrations are our own drawings, not product photos.
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Pick one of our three bots. The kits take an afternoon to build; the Rider-Pi comes ready.
Pop it on your home Wi-Fi, then link it to your AI assistant with a small bridge program (our setup prompt walks you through building it).
Say hello. It hears you, thinks it over, moves and replies in the voice you've picked.
Not quite. The thinking happens online, so expect a second or two between you speaking and it replying or moving. It's chatty, not lightning fast.
Yes. It needs your home Wi-Fi to reach your AI assistant. If the Wi-Fi or power drops, it can't help until they're back.
No. It's a helper you can check in with, not a certified alarm or security system. It's no substitute for a monitored alarm, good locks or a proper camera system.
No. It gets stuck on rugs. We've checked.
