GeckoSystems' CareBot(tm) Social Robot History Presented to Haier Group
World's Largest Home Appliance Manufacturer
CONYERS, Ga., July 25, 2014 -- GeckoSystems Intl. Corp. (Pink Sheets: GOSY | http://www.geckosystems.com/) announced today that recently a wholly owned subsidiary of Haier Group requested that the company send them videos of their mobile robots' heritage for Haier's careful review. For over seventeen years GeckoSystems has dedicated itself to development of "Mobile Robot Solutions for Safety, Security and Service.(tm)"
At the request of Haier, GeckoSystems sent a comprehensive video history depicting the legacy of their personal robot development over the last 15+ years in 127 video files in multiple formats in 16 folders totaling 7.84GB on a DVD. Many are in higher resolution than what YouTube historically supported. The prototypes range from the 1998 "P3b2" to "Kandy" in 1999, "Bertha" in 2001, "Emily" in 2003, "Lucy" in 2009, and "Martha" in 2011, the first CareBot to use depth camera based navigation. The most recent prototype, a BaseBot(tm), "Lou," was sent to Japan in 2013 and evaluated by well respected robotics company ZMP (http://tinyurl.com/pmtm8kc). These videos represent six distinct generations of the company's personal robot development, each more refined and capable than the last.
Also included are videos of GeckoSystems' SafePath(tm) enabled power wheelchair using their fundamental, proprietary mobile robot solutions originally developed for the CareBot, an Intelligent Family Care Assistant (IFCA).
Home robots are a new type of home appliance that have as much or more benefit to the home as refrigerators, automatic washing machines/dryers, dishwashers, and/or microwave ovens. Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, predicts a "robot in every home." (GeckoSystems agrees with Mr. Gates due to the economic and time stress benefits provided by the CareBot.)
Historically whenever a new mobility-enhancing appliance (like a telegraph, telephone, fax, cell phone, etc.) is invented and as they achieve mass-market status, hundreds of fundamental patent opportunities arise along with thousands of secondary, follow-on patent opportunities. The invention of the telegraph enabled Thomas Edison to make a fortune from his later multiplex telegraph patents. Those multiplex telegraph patents financed many of his creations to allow him to invent the light bulb, phonograph, movie projector, etc.
When Henry Ford developed the Model T, he secured dozens of fundamental patents due to being "first mover." In later years, due to the establishment of the Model T, hydraulic brakes/shocks, electric starters, and electric windshield wipers were all invented and patented extensively.
Just like automobiles, mobile robots must go where people normally go. That means that personal robots are size constrained to fit in environments for people as to width and height. "Optimum" high quality, low cost mechanical and electrical solutions do not presently exist any where in the world for the emerging market of a "robot in every home." There are dozens of packaging problems that require custom, "never done before" solutions that can be jointly patented by Haier and GeckoSystems. Due to the many years of R&D spent by GeckoSystems in mobile robot mechanical, electrical, electronic, and software challenges, the company is aware of many of those primary, fundamental patent opportunities that are probably appropriate for Haier's well-educated and experienced packaging and manufacturing engineers.
"We are certainly very appreciative of the time and sincere interest that Haier, a world-class corporate citizen, has conveyed to us to date. I look forward to further discussions with Haier about the many international patent opportunities that solve quality, packaging, cost, and efficiency requirements unique to mobile service robots, such as our CareBot, for daily utility and value to the user. As promised to our 1300+ stockholders, we remain very focused on our marketing activities," concluded Martin Spencer, CEO, GeckoSystems Intl. Corp.
About Haier Global :
Chairman Zhang Ruimin is respected world wide for his management style and progressive thinking. The thoughts expressed in this interview show his awareness of the most current market trends and issues, including appliances in the Internet of Things (IoT): http://tinyurl.com/lh9nf5g
Haier's Culture of Social Responsibility
Haier Is the Sea
Haier should be like the sea. Because the sea can accept all the rivers on earth, big and small, far and near, coming all the way to empty into it. Once in the bosom of the sea, every drop will function as a whole and rush together pertinaciously and dauntlessly, under the command of the sea, to a common goal. They will rather be smashed to pieces than retreat as deserters, hence the overwhelming force of the sea. The sea offers all of itself to mankind and never demands anything in return. Only through this bounty and unselfishness can the sea become an everlasting existence providing for all living beings. Haier should be like the sea--accepting all talented people from around the world for an ambitious goal. Every Haier employee should be capable rather than mediocre and redundant, for they are the backbone and guarantee of Haier's future development. Concerted efforts will generate power of the sea. This will be backed by a spirit--"Dedication to the Motherland by Pursuing Excellence" which Haier persistently advocates. Therefore, everything deemed unbelievable and impossible can be real and possible, and the Billow of Haier will rush past everything on its way and roll on and on. Thus, Haier should be like the sea--making contributions to mankind "sincerely forever." In so doing, it will exist forever for the good of all. Haier will be part of the whole society.
Haier Is the Sea.
http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/haier-group-corporation-history/
Haier's History
Haier was founded in 1984. In the last 30 years, through its entrepreneurial and innovative spirit, Haier has transformed itself from an insolvent collectively-owned factory on the brink of bankruptcy into the number one global home appliance brand. In 2013, Haier's global revenue and profit reached RMB180.3 billion (USD 29.5 billion ) and RMB10.8 billion (USD 1.76 billion ) respectively. Profit growth was 2 times revenue growth. Based on the statistics of Euromonitor International, a world leader in strategy research for consumer markets, Haier has been the number one global home appliance brand for five years in a row. On the 2012 World's 50 Most Innovative Companies list published by the Boston Consulting Group, Haier was the only Chinese company in the top 10, as well as the top-ranked consumer product retailer.
Haier is known for disruptive innovation in its product solutions and management model. As an open platform company, Haier provides leading home appliance solutions to its users. Qingdao Haier (600690.SH), referred to internally to as the 690 Platform, uses disruptive innovation to create smart appliances for its users with the aim of becoming the leader in the home appliance industry. Haier's five R&D centers around the world have forged strategic partnerships with first-class suppliers, research institutions, and prestigious universities to create an innovative ecosystem composed of over 1.2 million scientists and engineers connected by virtual and physical networks. By the end of 2013, Haier had filed 15,737 patent applications accumulatively and had been granted 10167 patents. Haier Appliances (1169.HK) creates a commercial ecosystem based on an interactive platform and a delivery platform. By leveraging the synergy of marketing, virtual, logistics and service networks ("quadruple play model") to build competitiveness, it can provide delivery and installation services to users within 24 hours and create the best user experience thanks to the connectivity between virtual and physical networks. The competitive advantages of the quadruple play model have helped its distribution channel Gooday attract famous domestic and international brands, while its open logistics platform for over-sized items serves China's top five e-commerce retailers and home appliance and furniture manufacturers.
In terms of management, Haier uses its innovative Win-win Model of Individual-Goal Combination, which aligns employee goals with user needs, to inject vitality and creativity into the organization by allowing employees to create value for users and themselves. Haier has transformed its organizational structure from a pyramid into an inverted pyramid and then further flattened it into a dynamic network-based organization composed of innovative ZZJYTs (self-management units). Every node in this network is driven by users rather than leaders, and opened to external resources so as to enable Haier to meet the changing needs of users. As it is considered to be a potential solution to the management challenges in the Internet age, Haier's innovative Win-win Model of Individual-Goal Combination has attracted the attention of world famous business schools and management gurus, and has been included in the case collections of business schools for teaching and research purposes.
Innovation is the key to Haier's long-term sustainability and health. Since 2007, Haier's profit has been growing at a CAGR of 35%. Thanks also to a negative 10-day cash conversion cycle (CCC), Haier is outperforming its peers by a mile.
http://www.haier.net/en/about_haier/
Haier in China:
"Founded in 1984, the Haier Group has been dedicated to innovation and creating a world famous brand over the past 26 years. Originally a small collective plant on the verge of bankruptcy, it has now grown into an international group that has more than 70,000 employees around the globe and realizes a turnover of 135.7 billion Yuan in 2010. Haier has risen to be the world's No.1 brand of consumer appliances. In addition, it was selected as one of the world's Top 10 innovative companies issued by USA Newsweek's website.
Haier aims to create a world famous brand in the age of the Internet, which features satisfying the personalized needs of users in a short time. What such a business needs is large-scale customization rather than massive production. Taking this opportunity provided by the Internet, Haier addressed this challenge and actively explored and practiced the "Win-win Mode of Individual-Goal Combination". Through "Inverted Triangle" organizational innovation and "End to End" ZZJYT construction, it realized the transformation from "selling products" to "selling services" and fostered differentiated and sustainable competitive advantages.
Trend-leading R&D advantages ---- The Haier's patent applications total over 10,000- ranking first among Chinese home appliance firms. Haier takes the lead to make breakthroughs in international standards. It participated in the drafting of 61 international standards, 27 of which have been issued and implemented. The company boosts the export of the entire industry chain through standard output."
Continued... http://www.haier.net/en/about_haier/haier_global/china/
Haier America's History
"Haier America, founded in 1999, is the Sales and Marketing arm of the Americas for the multinational Haier Group, the world's leading major appliance brand. Haier America is a leader for room air conditioner, compact refrigerator, and wine cellar sales; as well as a leading force in compact appliances, portable electronics and HDTV sales. Haier is an Official Marketing Partner and the Official High-Definition Television of the NBA. Haier America's headquarters is located in the landmark Haier Building in midtown Manhattan.
Over the past few years, Haier America has successfully established retail and service networks across the United States with a strong sales force, bringing products nationwide and throughout Canada.
Haier broke ground on the Haier Industrial Park in South Carolina on April 30, 1999, marking Haier's entry into the US market. In April 2006, Haier and the National Basketball Association joined together in a marketing partnership and Haier is now the Official HDTV of the NBA."
Continued... http://www.haier.net/en/about_haier/haier_global/america/
About GeckoSystems:
GeckoSystems has been developing innovative robotic technologies for seventeen years. It is CEO Martin Spencer's dream to make people's lives better through robotic technology.
An overview of GeckoSystems' progress containing over 700 pictures and 120 videos can be found at http://www.geckosystems.com/timeline/.
These videos illustrate the development of the technology that makes GeckoSystems a world leader in Service Robotics development. Early CareBot prototypes were slower and frequently pivoted in order to avoid a static or dynamic obstacle; later prototypes avoided obstacles without pivoting. Current CareBots avoid obstacles with a graceful "bicycle smooth" motion. The latest videos also depict the CareBot's ability to automatically go faster or slower depending on the amount of clutter (number of obstacles) within its field of view. This is especially important when avoiding moving obstacles in "loose crowd " situations like a mall or an exhibit area.
In addition to the timeline videos, GeckoSystems has numerous YouTube videos. The most popular of which are the ones showing room-to-room automatic self-navigation of the CareBot through narrow doorways and a hallway of an old 1954 home. You will see the CareBot slow down when going through the doorways because of their narrow width and then speed up as it goes across the relatively open kitchen area. There are also videos of the SafePath(tm) wheelchair, which is a migration of the CareBot AI centric navigation system to a standard power wheelchair, and recently developed cost effective depth cameras were used in this recent configuration. SafePath(tm) navigation is now available to OEM licensees and these videos show the versatility of GeckoSystems' fully autonomous navigation solution.
GeckoSystems, Star Wars(tm) Technology
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYwQBUXXc3g
The company has successfully completed an Alpha trial of its CareBot personal assistance robot for the elderly. It was tested in a home care setting and received enthusiastic support from both caregivers and care receivers. The company believes that the CareBot will increase the safety and well being of its elderly charges while decreasing stress on the caregiver and the family.
Gecko Systems is preparing for Beta testing of the CareBot prior to full-scale production and marketing. CareBot has recently incorporated Microsoft Kinect depth cameras that will result in a significant cost reduction.
Kinect Enabled Personal Robot video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kn93BS44Das
Above, the CareBot demonstrates static and dynamic obstacle avoidance as it backs in and out of a narrow and cluttered alley. There is no joystick control or programmed path; movements are smoother that those achieved using a joystick control. GeckoNav creates three low levels of obstacle avoidance: reactive, proactive, and contemplative. Subsumptive AI behavior within GeckoNav enables the CareBot to reach its target destination after engaging in obstacle avoidance.
More information on the CareBot personal assistance robot:
http://www.geckosystems.com/markets/CareBot.php
GeckoSystems stock is quoted in the U.S. over-the-counter (OTC) markets under the ticker symbol GOSY. http://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/GOSY/quote
Here is a "basher free" message board devoted to GOSY:
http://investorshangout.com/board/62282/Geckosystems+Intl+Co-GOSY
Here is Spencer's LinkedIn.com profile:
www.linkedin.com/pub/r-martin-spencer-mba/11/b2a/580/
Telephone:
Main number: 678-413-9236
Fax: 678-413-9247
Website: http://www.geckosystems.com/
Source: GeckoSystems Intl. Corp.
Safe Harbor:
Statements regarding financial matters in this press release other than historical facts are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The Company intends that such statements about the Company's future expectations, including future revenues and earnings, technology efficacy and all other forward-looking statements be subject to the Safe Harbors created thereby. The Company is a development stage firm that continues to be dependent upon outside capital to sustain its existence. Since these statements (future operational results and sales) involve risks and uncertainties and are subject to change at any time, the Company's actual results may differ materially from expected results.
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