KEECKER is the closest thing to R2-D2 we’ve seen yet [CES2014]

You’ll have to look hard to find this one at CES 2014, but it’s a jaw-dropper. Imagined and brought to life by ex-Googler, Pierre Lebeau, KEECKER has just taken the wraps off its smart, connected robot.

This is no Roomba. Billed as a “connected computer for lifestyle and home entertainment,” this little guy is equipped with a powerful video projector and 360 degree audio and video capture system. It’s sort of like an internet-connected projector meets media PC — on wheels. KEECKER allows you to project movies, listen to music, browse the web, make video calls, play video games and more, and it’s all controlled through your smartphone.

Before you let your imagination run wild, consider that this thing will sell for around US$4000 – 5000.

Still with us? Good. KEECKER is 16 inches wide and 25 inches tall and is controlled via free iOS, Android or web-based smartphone apps. The device will be available in white (more colours will be announced later), and will come with one terabyte of local storage space, and a recharge base.

Lebeau sees KEECKER as a way of “creating a new dimension between technology, entertainment and our imagination,” but more intriguingly perhaps, it’s totally like R2-D2!

KEECKER rolls alongside you using its motorised wheels and transforms any room into an entertainment area and any surface into a massive and immersive screen. Content can be projected anywhere, whether its traditional entertainment, video, photos or interior design elements, for example.

If you’ve started thinking about cheaper alternative — Samsung’s Galaxy Beam smartphone comes to mind — consider that KEECKER is being punted as the anti-smartphone or -computer. Lebeau considers the aforementioned devices largely for personal use. KEECKER is intended to share experiences at home, bringing families closer together. Want to show off your vacation to Hawaii? No need to drag your guests to the TV around Christmas time, just ambush them with your vacation movie wherever they are presently assembled.

“Interested in taking a dive into the Milky Way or bringing your children under the sea in the comfort of your own home? Want to draw monumental artwork on your walls or create pop up interior design just for a night? Whether you want to walk through your house Skyping with a friend in Tokyo, wake up to a view of Tuscany on your bedroom wall or countless other dynamic scenarios, KEECKER can create that experience for you,” swoons Lebeau.

KEECKER can also be applied to things like home analytics: temperature, humidity, sound level, light level and CO2 level for example, and for security purposes — you can check on your home remotely.

When you have a computer on wheels, with a projector and intelligent sensors, KEECKER becomes a compelling option for transforming a room and could take the pain out of connecting home systems to game consoles, ISP boxes and mobile devices.

And yet, our dreams might be limited by KEECKER’s price tag, range and battery capacity — we’ve yet to learn anything about those. Then there’s also the question of how it will perform in various lighting conditions and how intelligently it can navigate the obstacles in our homes.

Look out for KEECKER in Q4 2014.