Vector, a tiny desktop companion robot that was both surprisingly endearing and unsurprisingly useless, met its demise earlier this year when its creator, Anki, ran out of money and shut down. But ...

That's the first big difference. The second is how Anki is bringing Vector to market. Rather than launching directly from a retailer, the company is going after early-early-adopters via a Kickstarter ...

and powered by artificial intelligence. It's the smarter, more mature version of Cozmo, Anki robotics toy for children. Vector is meant to be an always on companion that wanders your counter top, ...

This is how many of my colleagues' first encounters with Anki's new mini robot "Vector" went. The chirping caterpillar robot simulates a surprising number of emotions with its lovingly animated eyes, ...