At first I thought it seemed like White Box Robotics and VIA was trying to do something like what Evolution made a half-hearted attempt to do with the ER1 robot: create a robot for the home that's really a mobile PC, that plays music, sends email, etc., and is easily modifiable by hobbyists. Then I noticed they're actually using our ER1 software (“For its robotic functions, such as motion or obstacle avoidance, the 912 uses Evolution Robotics Robot Control Center software.”).

Other people have already commented on the similarity between these robots and Heathkit's HERO. (Would HERO ever have had a “great-looking SUV style grill guard”, though?)