When it comes to speaker design, it’s safe to say that for the most part many of them tend to be pretty boring in terms of their shape and color (although at least one has made its way into the Museum of Modern Art). However the folks at Teenage Engineering are trying to change that perception with the unveiling of the “H” and “R” smart speakers.
These are speakers that the company has collaborated with China’s Baidu and Raven Tech, and as you can see in the photo above, these are definitely not your run-of-the-mill smart speaker. Starting with the “H”, they look like a stack of coasters or maybe even LEGO bricks. However the top is removable and has touch-sensitive LEDs with built-in microphones, and when removed it can act as a remote control for the speaker unit below it.
As for the “R”, this is the more ambitious design of the two. Its top is reminiscent of the “H”, but instead of a stack of these, there is only one and it is mounted onto a robotic arm that when you speak to it, it will actually be able to swivel and “look” at you, and will also move along to the beat of the music, thanks to its speakers which are housed in the base of the device. Both speakers will also be powered by Baidu’s DuerOS.
As for availability, the “H” is expected to go on sale in China next month where it will be priced at CNY1,699. As for the “R”, it is still in development and we’re not sure when it will be released or how much it will cost.
Filed in . Read more about AI (Artificial Intelligence), Baidu and Speakers.