RIP Kuri the robot, as production ends for early home robot pioneer

Farewell, Kuri, we hardly knew you. Kuri the rolling, talking, video-capturing robot -- who made its debut at the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show -- has been terminated. Mayfield Robotics, the Redwood City, California manufacturer, has announced it ceasing production of Kuri robots and will pause its operations to "evaluate the company's path forward." Marketed as a home companion, priced at $700, Kuri was an app-driven robot that could take videos with its high-def camera, play music and dance. USA TODAY's Jefferson Graham, who met up with Kuri a year ago, described the robot as "an Amazon Echo with wheels and eyes" that "can do all the things Alexa or Google Home can do now -- answer trivia questions, play music, run your smart home and a little more. Using the built-in 1080p camera, Kuri can also take, for instance, cat videos while you're away and play them for you."