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?

Comments

I don't get it

[Frac]

They cost more than Aibos, they do less, and they look like pets owned by the Children of the Corn.

eeyyaahh!!!!

realism

[zephc]

as someone stated above, they dont move and you cant train them.... so they emulate real cats perfectly

Re:realism

[s390]

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 is a bit too weird for me.

[jedrek]

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".

Spectacular!!

[beowulf_26]

(/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!

What will they call the owners?

[pigret]

Necoro-philiacs?

They don't even walk!!

[Bart van der Ouderaa]

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 :-)

Research my butt

[shut_up_man]

"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

have no fear

[RestiffBard]

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.

101 Uses for a Dead NeCoRo

[Chelloveck]

Okay, who's going to be the first to make a Bonsai NeCoRo?

(And how do they taste chopped-up and stir-fried?)

BIO Bugs?

[glowingspleen]

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.

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.html

toycollecting.about.com/library/weekly/bltoyfair 20 01a.htm

Robotic Non-Cat..

[ldopa1]

How can you call it a cat if it doesn't do things characteristic of most cats? Namely:

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?