April 23, 2008
· Filed under Korean Robot
June 18, 2007 Around-the-home robot servants are almost starting to become practical – we’ve had the robot PA, the robot vacuum and the robot beer fridge, now meet Rogun – a robot babysitter and security guard with the fascinating ability to recognise familiar faces. The diminutive humanoid will happily wander around playing with the kids, broadcasting video of them wirelessly to the net so you can see what they’re up to while you’re at work. He’ll also act as a wireless internet or videophone terminal, and keep watch when nobody’s home, calling your mobile phone if there’s a stranger in the house.
Korea’s KornTech recently announced the arrival of Rogun, a 1-metre tall humanoid robot that walks around on 2 feet and is intended for use as a nanny/security guard. Using built-in camera eyes and some very nifty facial recognition software, Rogun is able to learn to recognise his immediate family and friends.
The robot contains a compact PC with a wireless Internet connection and a seven-inch LCD screen on his chest – which lets him be used as a wandering Web terminal or mobile media player for the kids. He can also be used as a wireless telephone or videophone.
It’s the combination of his skills that will make Rogun most practical – he can be set to follow the kids around all day while you’re at work, wirelessly webcasting what they’re doing so you can keep tabs on them from the office. And if a stranger enters your house while nobody else is around, he’ll make an emergency call to your mobile phone so you can decide what to do about it.
Rogun is the culmination of only three years’ worth of Korean bipedal robot research, and although prototypes have been very expensive to produce, KornTech expects that a mass-produced Rogun will reach a predicted price point of around US$5000.
April 23, 2008
· Filed under Japanese Robots
Toshiba has developed a prototype robot that is essentially a universal remote for your home. The ApriPoco, loose translation means little by little, is approx. 8.4 inches tall with big round eyes and torso, giving it a child like demeanor. This is intentional due to the pace at which it learns commands.
April 23, 2008
· Filed under News
April 20, 2008
· Filed under Japanese Robots
Manoi sounds like one of Godzilla’s foes, but is actually a 1/5 scale athlete humanoid that looks like a character from a 1960s cartoon. The company behind this specializes in RC cars, and this is an extension of that business. The idea is that you (if you’re Japanese) will buy a Manoi and enter it into tournaments run by the company 3 or 4 times a year — like people race RC cars in tournaments. And as with any self-respecting Japanese robot press conference, Manoi performed a little demo for reporters: it walked, stood on one leg, turned and the spot and “posed” in various ways. There isn’t much detail on the specs, but it had better be impressive: Manoi goes on sale next May for 150,000 yen ($1,280).
April 20, 2008
· Filed under more
April 20, 2008
· Filed under Korean Robot
Scientists from the Korean Institute for Industrial Technology recently unveiled a new android capable of showing expressions on her face, only the second android to do this after Japan’s Actroid. The Ever-1 takes its name from the Biblical Eve plus the r from “robot”, can understand about 400 words and make eye contact while talking. We have to confess that we don’t really care about any of this, only that we’re looking forward to the day that Korea and Japan get both their androids to the point where they can, you know, fight each other. With lasers and missiles, even.
April 20, 2008
· Filed under Japanese Robots
Tokyo, October 7, 2002 – Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. today announced that it has developed a new robot for the home, the MARON-1, which can be remotely controlled by mobile phone to operate home electronic appliances or monitor household security.
The ambulatory prototype robot is equipped with a wide range of functions, including telephone, camera, remote control, timer and surveillance equipment. With these features, for example, it is envisioned that MARON-1 could be used for monitoring homes or offices at night or for checking up on persons requiring special care and monitoring.
Fujitsu will be presenting details on the new robot at the Japan Robot Conference, opening October 12, 2002 at Osaka University.
April 20, 2008
· Filed under Korean Robot
There is a new robot in town which wants to guard your home. This new security robot, which currently has no name, is designed by the Korean company Mostitech and will be distributed starting in June by Korea’s top mobile carrier, SK Telecom. With its price tag of only $850, it will be a serious competitor for Banryu, which costs $18,000. The unnamed robot is 50 centimeters tall and weighs only 12 kilograms. In case of emergency, such as a fire, its cameras can take snapshots and send them to the owner’s cell phone. Likewise, if an unexpected visitor is entering your home, you’ll receive his picture on your phone, says the Korea Times in this article. Besides security features, it also can entertain your kids by reading them a book.
April 20, 2008
· Filed under more
April 20, 2008
· Filed under Japanese Robots
A recent news story by Reuters may require Japanese robot developers to rethink their approach to elderly care. Ifbot, a $4300 robot (above left) developed to provide companionship for elderly Japanese, has instead found himself living a lonely life in Japan’s nursing homes. The elderly folks lost interest in the robot after only a month and stopped interacting with it after that. Despite packing some useful sensors like a thermometer and glucometer, Sanyo also canned its medical robot named Hopis (above right) due to its lackluster reception with the Japanese.
