For Immediate Release 

Contact: 
Fiona McClelland
Connors Communications
Tel: 212.798.1406
E-mail: fiona@connors.com	

The Evolution RoboticsTM ER1TM Robot Rolls Into Retail 

From Fry’s to FAO Schwarz, from J&R to Amazon, leading retailers are now offering
 the world’s first personal robot system designed for the home and workplace

Check out The ER1 Demo Days at Select Retail Locations Nationwide 
 
Pasadena, CA – October 1, 2002 – The vision of a robot in every home came one step closer to reality today as Evolution Robotics™ Inc. announced the retail launch of the Evolution Robotics ER1™, a personal robot system designed for the home and workplace.  Consumer technology enthusiasts can purchase the ER1 in time for the holiday season from a mix of popular consumer electronic retail outlets including Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN), Fry’s Electronics, select FAO Schwarz stores, J&R Computer World, TigerDirect, Insight, as well as through Evolution Robotics web site, www.evolution.com.  Customers are invited to check out the ER1 at one of over 200 demonstration days being hosted by stores across the country over the next two months.  Find the nearest demo days location at www.evolution.com.

Evolution Robotics carefully selected retail partners who share Evolution Robotics vision as well as cater to a market of hobbyists and early adopters who will ultimately help drive the use of personal robotics in everyday life.  “We look for consumer products that will have a lot of traction in the marketplace.  Particularly in the months leading up to the holiday season, we need to put products on our shelves that will be big winners.  When we saw what ER1 could be trained to do we felt it was an important and exciting item we wanted to showcase and sell to our customers,” commented Carl Fiorentino, President, TigerDirect.com.

Available in two configurations, the Evolution Robotics ER1 can be purchased unassembled for $599 MSRP, or assembled for $699 MSRP.  Using the owner’s Windows laptop, the ER1 allows users to create their own personal robots and easily train them to perform a variety of tasks ranging from taking pictures of the family and automatically emailing them to friends, playing music on command, reading a bedtime story to the children, capturing video of the home or children for security purposes, setting daily reminders for its owner and, using additional accessories that will be available in the coming months, holding, delivering and/or receiving packages and objects.  

“Now that the ER1 is out in the retail market, we believe consumers are going to be very impressed with a powerful yet affordable product that brings robotics into their day-to-day lives,” commented Bill Gross, Founder and Executive Chairman of Evolution Robotics.  “With its remarkable performance and capabilities, our personal robot will show consumers how it can carry out tasks and ultimately become an indispensable tool for every household.” 

Following the introduction of the ER1 in May 2002, Evolution Robotics set up a beta program with more than 50 developers and consumers to test early versions of the ER1 personal robot system.  "It took me much less time to assemble the ER1 than any other robot I have purchased as a kit," said James C. Deen, an ER1 beta customer.  "With the ER1, as soon as I loaded up the software on my laptop, plugged in the camera and Robot Control Module using the fool-proof USB connections, I had it moving about and accurately recognizing my fish tank, office door, several different magazine covers, and even myself in about 30 minutes. The ER1 is sophisticated enough to capture the devotion of any level of robotics hobbyist or student, yet simple enough to pique the interest of the average consumer."

A technological breakthrough in the personal robot market, the ER1 is only the first in a line of autonomous personal robot products that Evolution Robotics will bring to market.  Accessories for the ER1 will also be released by the end of the year, including a gripper arm that can grab and move objects.  The gripper arm's design provides easy operation and useful functionality and can be attached anywhere on the ER1 using flexible attachment options.  Other accessories include a second power module for extended use, an infrared sensor pack to help the ER1 navigate around an area using “object presence” and a robot expansion pack that contains additional beams, connectors, and wheels to allow an owner to customize or tailor make the ultimate ER1 robot or robot accessory.

Bernard Louvat, CEO of Evolution Robotics added “This is a big step in our overall company vision.  Once manufacturers see the power and potential of our technology we hope they will work with us and license our technology platform for their own new and existing products.” 

Evolution Robotics has plans to begin shipping and selling the ER1 internationally in early 2003. The company will also be exhibiting at CES, Las Vegas in January 2003, where it will be demonstrating its line of personal robot products and software technologies.  More information on Evolution Robotics and the ER1 can be found at www.evolution.com.

About Evolution Robotics
Evolution Robotics™, www.evolution.com, provides and manufactures technologies and personal robot products for the home and workplace, targeting both businesses and consumers directly.  Based in Pasadena, California and founded in March 2001, Evolution Robotics has developed the Evolution Robotics Software Platform™, a proprietary, open, modular, portable, hardware-independent and scalable software architecture.  Following the company’s launch in February 2002, Evolution Robotics licenses its robotics technologies, including the Evolution Robotics Software Platform, to OEMs to help bring new personal robot products to market.  The company’s current consumer product, the ER1™, was introduced in May 2002 and is the first-ever personal robot that can be trained to perform useful functions. The ER1, which hit the retail market in October 2002, is available online and through a mix of consumer electronic retail stores, catalogers, and online merchants.  Evolution Robotics mission is to accelerate the personal robot industry and help spur the creation of a variety of functional personal robot products that will become indispensable in our daily lives, at work and home.

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