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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?
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.
Cats are the best pets you can have. They are perfect... robotic replacements maybe better for dogs, not for cats.
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".
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.
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as someone stated above, they dont move and you cant train them.... so they emulate real cats perfectly
I realize it's funny, but cats conserve their energy because when then move, they move fast, expending a lot of energy. They're also rather small, so it's a lot more energy for a cat to run full-tilt than it is for a human. I'm told that a cat playing expends 100 times more energy, relatively, than a person playing similarly. I have a few cats and it was amazing to watch them play in the yard, slide down railings, climb the tree up to 50 feet or more (and get down safely), and generally just be cats. They're indoors cats now, but they do play with each other and they all love it when I can play with them.
And it's not true that cat's aren't trained. They don't do "tricks" - I haven't gotten any to fetch back anything thrown yet (but I hope to). Rather, cats adapt to their owner(s) with the objectives of: (1) safety, (2) food, and (3) attention, with this last confirming the continuance of the first two. In this, they've got the basics of human relationships down pretty well (though this might sound cynical, it's true). Some cats are rather intelligent creatures.
The robot cats seem very... Japanese. No individual personality. They don't play. They don't follow one around. They don't crave attention. Who would want them, except perhaps as very expensive bookends or doorstops? Maybe in Japan where personal space is measured in square centimeters?
I'll keep my real cats. It's rather nice to be greeted each morning and evening by a bright and confident cat. Easier than people (yes, I have those too).
this cat can't be trained?
REAL cats can't be trained.