Slashdot Mirror
Robot Cat 'NeCoRo'
Ssmoimo writes: "Omron's robot pet developing department chief Toshihiro Tashima introduces "NeCoRo" in Tokyo Tuesday. The robotic cat will go on sale in November for about $1,530." Chris DiBona said it was "freaky", and I think that's as good a description as any. You can see this thing sucking the breath out of a small child, can't you?
You can't train them and they don't move like Sony Aibo. :(
Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
I wonder if my girlfriend would notice if I swaped her cat for one of these.
Imagine a beowolf-cluster of these !!
From the website:
Its "vocabulary" includes 48 different cat noises
And all this time I thought it was just meows, purrs and growls.
eeyyaahh!!!!
as someone stated above, they dont move and you cant train them.... so they emulate real cats perfectly
"I would say that 99 per cent of what my father has written about his own life is false." - L. Ron Hubbard Jr.
Expensive to kick, and it won't go for antifreeze.
Won't catch mice.
On the positive it won't spread litter. go into heat or cost you for vet bills.
Ursula Andress, Catherine Deneuve, and Charo, twice...
I'm all about cats, but isn't this just a skinned version of tickle-me-elmo?
No wait, tickle-me-elmo could move!
can't sleep. clowns will eat me.
Tom.
Oh arse
Cats are the best pets you can have. They are perfect... robotic replacements maybe better for dogs, not for cats.
"Omron, known for sensor technology used in products from factory tools to automatic tellers"
MEEEOOOOOWWW!!!!
Why do today what you can put off until tomorrow?
I understand the Tamagotchi's appeal: It's a little gadget that reacts to different stimulii with a limited range of responses. But it's small, pocket sized, and is actually a social tool as it is quite a conversation piece.
I understand the AIBO's appeal. It's the uber-geek toy of choice. A small, robotic dog that runs around and yips. Great, we can all live out SF fantasies when the lone hero returns to his one room apartment and is greeted by his voluptous holographic host and his robotic dog.
But this... this is a bit sick. Neither the AIBO nor Tamagotchi try to do what this cat is doing: imitate a living being. This is a bit disconcerning. The older gadgets were far enough removed from reality that no one was going to mistake them for something real.
That's not something that I can say about a cat that has a 'fake-fur skin that expands and contracts with its various body movements and facial expressions.' Maybe I'm just bitching, but this doesn't "feel right".
(/me pulls out his best announcer voice)
Now introducing a cat without that litterbox smell! Sure, it doesn't move, and YES it lacks all the compassion and warmth of a real cat! And it's all yours for the new introductory price of $1,530. That's only FIVE TIMES more expensive than the real cat!
--I hate big sigs.
What's wrong with a real pet? Dogs in particular. you can get them for nothing at a pound and they will love you back. Why have an expensive emulation that doesnt even come close when you can have the real thing. Yes pets can be messy but they can be trained you know
This thing combined with an MP3 player... "the purring sound of your choice"
now THAT would be an improvement
Fighting for peace is like fucking for virginity
Oh well, it was only the standard "But will it run Linux?" gag.
Tom.
Oh arse
Necoro-philiacs?
... I guess you'd have to be a cat lover to want to put out $1,500 bucks for an robotic replica of an animal that when I get home from work proffers a look of disdain for leaving in the first place, while lounging around on the good furniture. Won't bring me my slippers, doesn't care to comfort me if I'm the least bit upset, won't come to me when I call him/her for dinner, and won't wake me up when the house is on fire (but rather sneak out the back door) ?
... perhaps it's my problem, because I understand cats about as well as I understand high-maintenance women.
What I want is a small robotic dinosaur like that. Based on the Veloceraptor, and about 1 metre high. It would be cool to have one of them that could be programmed with the behaviour that you want, and it would have to be able to freely move around. Just the thing for keeping the next-door neighbors annoying cat out of the garden!!!!! :-)
Tom.
Oh arse
You need to be able to care for them. NeCoRo is just a funny toy that you can play with a few weeks and then put in the closet.
I'd like people to think more before adopting a pet. If you won't be able to be at home for them, you should consider other options.
Mod this clown down just for his sheer stupidity.
Asswipe are you! He he he he!
... that already sounds like something which is dead.
I can see the appeal.
NOT.
Tom.
Cat food...............2 dollars
cat medications........10 dollars
cat toys...............25 dollars
Wishing you bought.....1700 dollars
a real cat
Not all of us read memepool you know. So what if this story was already there? I think it's interesting and I didn't know about it before now.
What good is a virtual cat if it doesn't even walk?
:-)
To be a real virtual cat it should trip me while opening the fridge, leave those mouse corpses on the doormat, put his nails in my ass just because i happened to want to sit in my comfy chair without looking and miauw when it's inside to go out and as soon as it's outside miauw because it wants to go in.
just sitting there doesn't do it....Although if it was sleeping the whole day...
I might pay for that
Say "just to try to get first post"
not "just to try and get first post"
I can't beleive they're doing this. They're trying to capture the same hype as aibo, same price, same quantity limit...but this cat just sucks. Ohhh, all it does it purr when you pet it. *gives a little golf clap* Just stick to making me mouse buttons omron.
--Roy
i wonder why they arent called Nukuro, being as Nuku is the japanese word for cat... does Neco mean anything?
"I would say that 99 per cent of what my father has written about his own life is false." - L. Ron Hubbard Jr.
Should have named them "Robo-cat" - that one on the right is about as appealing as Arnold Schwartzeswhatzis...
Of course, most of the cats in Tokyo *are* deformed, so they didn't have good examples to work from...
Cheers,
Jim in Tokyo
-- My Weblog.
"the artificial intelligence and other technologies tested in NeCoRo would find applications in more practical items, such as user-friendly vending machines for train tickets."
Riiiiiight... vending machines covered in fur, that make 48 types of cat noise and purr when you rub them.
shut up man
Something that is more useless than a real cat!! I thought it would never happen!
saw these on the 11:00 daily show last night. no worries. no chance in hell you could mistake these freaks for a cat. they look like animatronics from disneyland. they also appear to be sinister. I'm certain there's a plot behind it all.
-
Have they managed to improve his driving skills?
What if the Hokey-Pokey really is what it's all about?
Necrophilia - n. Obsessive fascination with death and corpses. 2. Erotic attraction to or sexual contact with corpses. necrophiliac (-ak) -ADJECTIVE & NOUNnecrophile (-fl) -NOUNnecrophilicto Seems like a poor name choice. It may be appropriate since they look kind of creepy. Some people may "love" this cat.
Here, with specs and a decent photo.
Haven't seen any "pussy" jokes here yet... unless they're all moderated down to -2?!
(this is not a
It seems some of you have misread what I wrote...
I said "it lacks all the compassion and warmth of a real cat!"
As far as I know, when I speak of a robot lacking the compassion and warmth of a real cat, it means that real cats HAVE compassion and warmth. My statement implies this.
Sure, I'm programmer, and my grammatical skills aren't the best. But I just confirmed it with an English professor for a BigTen school who said the statement was perfectly normal.
I do not hate cats. I enjoy the company of my cat, Monet, very much.
--I hate big sigs.
Okay, who's going to be the first to make a Bonsai NeCoRo?
(And how do they taste chopped-up and stir-fried?)
Chelloveck
I give up on debugging. From now on, SIGSEGV is a feature.
The Door into Summer , nineteen-mumble....plotters, cleaning robots - and when his aging tomcat dies, he goes to cat heaven where
"robot cats are programmed to fight hard but always lose."
Tell me when they start moving, I might buy one as a toy for my real cats. Or maybe not - one of my females is calling now and would certainly try to seduce it.
Hmm - I wonder if catse.cx is taken?
Characteristics:
1) Responds to human movement/emotions
2) Has feelings and desires, and its personality will adjust to its owner
3) Remembers its name and acknowledges its name when called
4) Synthetic fur gives it a feline appearance, so it feels natural to treat it like a cat, stroking and hugging it
So what happens if you kick it? The poster is right, it looks like it would get mad and eat your face off or something. They must be running out of food over there on technology island... it seems like if someone is willing to pay that much for a fake killer cat then feeding a real cat must be expensive!
~ now you know
People have a need to dominate wildness. It gives us satisfaction to dominate an animal which would sooner kill us than look at us.
Cats hate humans. The cat in your house puts up with you because he too small to kill you. The "affection" you get from a cat is simply his social programming in action.
So, what's the point of this necoro? It is a thing which looks like a cat but is harmless... How do humans get pleasure from that?
If I wanted something to just sit there and be pathetic and have not loyalty, I would just use a computer... oh wait a minute!
One that does exactly the same but has long luscious hair, full lips, long legs and looks like ... er ..., no better I will not write it here....
IANAL but write like a drunk one.
.... then the makers are emulating to the smallest detail the original...
IANAL but write like a drunk one.
Help control the pet population, have your pet rebooted every once in a while.
does it spray hydraulic fluid all over your shoes?
Actually, he's referring to the commong wives' tale which suggests that cats should not be left alone with a baby because they will suck the baby's breath out.
My mother actually believes this... She told me very matter-of-factly that she would help me find a home for my cats when my son was born.
Oh well, I guess that's what happens when you don't have a job for 20 years and you just sit at home watching soaps all day.
"The best laid plans of mice and men gang oft agley..." - ROBERT BURNS
Since my girlfriend is highly allergic to cats, but i've always wanted a cat. This is a cat without all the litterbox hassle, food expense, and hairballs. Plus my girlfriend won't sneeze.
Reason, free market capitalism, and individualism
toonces the driving cat vs. necoro... who wins?
I wish Sony would just start making robotic versions of animal cartoon characters, or little creatures that don't exist in real life. Yes I know that sounds like a Furby or some other whizbang toy, but at least people won't be making direct comparisons to the "real thing".
Besides, I know a lot of people that wouldn't mind having a robotic pikachu that actually responded to them, or a garfield, or one of those little forest creaturesfrom Princess Mononoke.
Well, the breath-sucking may be a bit extream but as any new parent will tell you -- its sensible to take precautions. Here's an article call Cat and chidl safety. (Yes, I know slashdot isn't a parenting site.) Basically it says to keep babys and cats apart. Presumably it applies to robo-cats also.
Speaking of robotic toys, has anyone tried out a BIO Bug yet? I read about them months ago in Wired and was psyched to hear that they were in stores a few weeks ago. They're $40 if you want one.
l
r 20 01a.htm
Has anyone used one yet? Are they neat, or are they a letdown like Furby? Any chances of hacking them?
Links to BIO Bug articles:
wowwee.com/biobugs/biointerface.html
www.wirelessnewsfactor.com/perl/story/14076.htm
toycollecting.about.com/library/weekly/bltoyfai
------
Let me give you the lowdown
Raising it's butt when you scratch it
Getting up and walking out of the room for absolutely no apparent reason.
Scratching the bejeezus out of your hand when you scratch it's belly.
Playing "Turdball" across your living room.
Laying down on your newspaper when you're reading it.
And most imporantly:
Pushing it's butt in your face so you can smell it.
On the other hand, they definately have the "ignore you" down pat. Perhaps it shouldn't be named "NeCoRo" and instead be called "Necro." It's a bit more fitting.
Really?
The Dopester
"Yes, I'm a Karma Whore, but I'm doing it to pay my way through school."
call me when they develop a saroyama style robot girl.
when religion is no longer the opiate of the masses, governments will resort to real opiates.
More pictures of the freaky catboto here.
I'm a cat person, and this was interesting because my Mom is also a cat person, but allergic to cats. I checked out their website, which had a page of .movs of this little guy:
http://www.necoro.com/theater/index.html
Anyway, the video feature the cat in lots of standard cat mischief, but is now where near worth $1500. Buy a computer and the 'Catz' screensaver for $1500 instead. It'd be more mobile. They also have a picture gallery for the bandwidth-impaired. I particulary enjoyed the marketing video (the big link at the top) which shows a Japanese teenager cooing over her new toy with some strange music. Very odd, but it's no Mr. Sparkle.
You would pay for a cat? I know some farms where you can take home as many as you want FOR FREE!
"No one will smell that."
I know I do.
Personally since seeing AI, I've wanted a teddy bear that is smarter than I am.
Also, you're a cunt.
At least it won't crap in the middle of the livingroom floor like my wife's dog did this morning. With any luck, these things will be improved to the point I can dump the "real" dog for the electronic version. My only question is how will it get along with the cat I already have? I wonder which will become the alpha in the House?
Goran
Carpe Scrotum - The only way to deal with your competition.
Here's the common speculation on where that wives tale came about. Basically since cats like to lie in warm places, it's possible that a large cat could lay on a small baby alseep in its crib and suffocate it. That's sufficiently close to "sucking the breath out" in my mind. ;-)
These guys are trying to make home appliances more user friendly....
... but the day my furry vacuum cleaner gets out of the closet and wants to "play" is the day I get rid of my intelligent web browser, stomp on my loving MP3 player, and eat the last Pop-Tart from my too-eager toaster. Look for me in the Luddite section at L.L. Bean, please!
[Error 407: No signature found]
Some moronic moderator has never heard of the phrase "herding cats". Why am I not suprised?
"Hello, Omron customer support. How can I help you?"
"I went all the way to Tokyo and paid $1500 for some hot pussy and she gave out after the 5th day"
"Sir, put your hand inside the pussy and and press that little thing to see if it's turned on"
"Whoops, sorry. I didn't push hard enough. She's turned on now." Click.
For some reason when I first skimmed over the article, I accidentally thought the cat's name was Necro, missing the first "o". Which then led me to think of the term necrophilia , which really grossed me out. Not unlike a cat does with it's coughing up fur balls (do they have a subroutine for that?).
I may not be a Japanese inventor, but I don't think i'd want my invention's name to not remind anyone about sex with the dead. Anyone else have this reaction?
today is spelling optional day.
if it ran for office i would vote!
If you had a beowulf cluster of these things!!!
also hoped the artificial intelligence and other technologies tested in NeCoRo would find applications in more practical items, such as user-friendly vending machines.
Share and Enjoy!
On the Daily Show. I think this is the first time I've learned about something from psuedonews media before I saw it on slashdot.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
I will say this about Necoro: even though it looks like Toonces or like the cat from Sabrina, at least it looks more or less like a real cat, and not some pathetic imitation of a metallic robot trying to look like a pathetic imitation of a cat.
#naabhaprzrag, #sverubfr-000, #agi-fcbafberq, negvpyr[pynff*=' negvpyr-ary-'] { qvfcynl: abar !vzcbegnag; }
Neko = Cat
Ro = Robot (doumo arigatou, Mr. Robotto)
It's also a play on words. koro is most of the word 'kokoro', which means 'heart'.
I wonder what Robot hairballs smell like..
So when does it start on Battlebots?
This was on "The Daily Show" last night.
"NeCoRo: His furballs are real, but he is not."
LOL
It doesn't mean much now, it's built for the future.
"Chris DiBona said it was "freaky", and I think that's as good a description as any. You can see this thing sucking the breath out of a small child, can't you? "
Well sure! Drop an "o" and you've got NeC-Ro... the *undead* robotic pet!
Stefan
Perhaps someone could mirror this before it's totally gone? I used the link in the background of the picture in the article, and after a bit of browsing found this rather large picture of two of the cats.
The link is pretty slow, which is why I hoped someone might mirror it. Hope they can handle some extra load!
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
'neco' means 'cat' in japanese.
'Co' is short for 'communication'
(the C is capitalized since it is embedded in the word neco.)
'Ro' is short for 'robot'
Cats do present a danger of toxoplasmosis to infants...
The Necoro-nomicon ?
Bill Stewart
New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
Looks like this robotic cat thing has been tried before:
d g/
http://www.cnn.com/TECH/ptech/9903/25/robocat.i
You're Just Jealous Because The Voices Are Talking To Me.
Who in their right mind would allow a child to play with this "thing"? I could not sleep at night with this evil looking "cat" in my room, why subject a child to this?
What age is this supposed to be geared for anyway? Too scary/expensive for kids, teens have better things to do and this could hold the attention of an adult for like a whole 5 minutes. I guess my question is, what is the point??
I'm waiting for the full-size android catgirl version myself. At least one of those could help out around the house instead of just sitting there.
And yes, my domain name does mean "catgirl".
I have two cats of my own. I also have had to take litters of strays down to the SPCA, hoping others could adopt them. Please, it really would make the world a better place if just a few more people would be responsible pet owners.
What I want to know is, when are they coming out with Catgirls?
Nyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar.
Ironically, all the comments about the CueCath tm l
:-)
http://slashdot.org/articles/01/10/16/1651222.s
apply to this device, too!
My fave was:
"It fails to solve a problem which never existed." --Debbie Barham, The Evening Standard
For Pete's sake, get a real cat -- they're euthanized every day at a shelter near you. The $1,500 will pretty much set it up for life, and you don't have to pay it all at once.
I think the designers of this robot cat ought to integrate the AI portion into the Real Doll...
(Insert your own joke here.)
"she says i'm lousy conversation. as if that's supposed to help."
... I suggest we rename the company from Omron, by transposing the first two letters for thinking that people will pay 1500 dollars for a robotic cat that is really nothing more than a glorified Furby. At least Aibo moves around...
-- A computer without COBOL and Fortran is like a piece of chocolate cake without ketchup and mustard
Hangs on the wall, out of the way. Wipes clean easier than some $1530 furry purry contraption. And hey, you can buy it for $20~25...
db
Cig:
ôô
or a dog lovers
instead of a litter box. Granted I had a lot of help getting her to do it but it is great now.
If only I could teach her to flush, then she would be better than my room-mate.
errr....umm...*whooosh* *whoosh* Is this thing on ?
this is Japan, where space is at the MOST premium in the world. A dog needs space, even a cat needs some space, as much as this thing gives me the creeps, I can see the motivation for the manufacturers in that market.
errr....umm...*whooosh* *whoosh* Is this thing on ?
This is bizarre. Attempting to share affection with a computer. Blowfish sushi must have long term neurological effects.
I find that cats have more personality than people, but maybe that's because I love cats so much and have too many gripes with humans. For the last six months I have been living with an very heavily asthmatic girl, so there's no way I could adopt a cat. She gave me a big fuzzy panther as a gift and substitute, but nothing can be the same (cuddly though it is). I still end up late for work from petting the cats that live nearby evey morning :)
:) Somehow I don't think that the robotic cat idea is marketed towards cat lovers, more geeks and mechanics aficionados. It's not like the robotic cat will get on with you real cats, but we'll see...
Anyway, I do have a point.
"We kill to cure, with cures that kill" - Skinny Puppy