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First Peek at Robosapien V2
balancedi writes "According to OnRobo, the New Robosapien looks to be a lot more fun but it had better be at a $200 price tag. While still controllable via remote he now is more autonomous. He also has more range of motion, better hands, a vision color system, and a laser tracking system."
Without them no one would know it was cool.
The message on the other side of this sig is false.
"and a laser tracking system."
Well this'll get it in trouble under the U SAP AT RIOT act! Better watch out for airliners when playing with this.
In the free world the media isn't government run; the government is media run.
I, for one, welcome our new Version 2 Laser-Tracking (Now with Colorvision!) overlords!
DAMN YOU OCTODOG! DAMN YOU TO HELL!
... Is robots with frickin' laser beams. Is that too much to ask?
"With sufficient thrust, pigs fly just fine." -- RFC 1925
Mumbling something about finding Sara Connor.
moo.
Besides being a toy, is this thing actually useful at all? Can it go get your newspaper or anything like that?
Le français vous intéresse?
Mirrordot of the FA
Sensory features include a vision color system that enables Robosapien V2 to recognize objects and skin tones; he can wave when he sees you and reach out to shake your hand.
I think that's pretty f'ing amazing.
500GB of disk, 5TB of transfer, $5.95/mo
Oh, great. Ken's tracking system is gone.
is the companion robotic creatures. A couple of the dinosaur-like ones set to be aggressive could be funny to watch interact. Wonder how robosapien would control three or four aggressive roboraptors. :)
I was taking one day at a time, but then several days got together and ambushed me. (from a Rhymes with Orange comic)
I give it five years before this 'toy' evolves through annual improvements into something that can fetch a cold beer from the fridge for you. A robot priced in the high end toy range that could actually do household chores, is that still a toy?
My girlfriend is terrified of robots, a true phobia. She better get over it soon.
Peter
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1748603,00.as p
Some nice popups of the new trio of bots coming out this year. Tilden isn't at the CES show, and says that these models are early prototypes, but promises that the New York Toy Fair show will show off much better developed versions.
Giraffiti: Vandalism spray-painted very, very high...
yes only a Live distro!
Haha
I'm actually much more impressed with robo-pet. The proposed price of $70 for something that can manage commands, has touch sensors, can be walked on a "laser leash" (assuming that means it'll follow a laser pointer around) and can learn like AIBO at almost 1/10th of the cost....WOW
I sincerely doubt the new robosapien will be a success though. For $200 it's no longer in the upper range of toys - it's entering the price range of video game systems, televisions... the feature set is impressibe but most will likely never really use them.
Unless there are practical applications - RoboSapien - get me a beer!
Can it throw a bone in the air when it spots a black obilisk?
Feed the need: Digitaladdiction.net
One robot controlling others? reminds me of this short story by this obscur sci-fi writer...
woups, sorry, got to go and catch that rabbit!
Why dosen't Honda sell the Asimo? That's the coolest freaking robot ever.
- Just my $0.02, take with a grain of salt, your mileage may vary.
Robosapien V2 comes equipped with "laser" tracking; trace a laser path on the ground and he'll follow it.
Does this mean we will see robosapians leaping from tall buildings at passing aircraft?
liqbase
Robosapien(TM) V2 - Bigger, Smarter and more fun Print E-mail
Written by OnRobo News Desk
Tuesday, 04 January 2005
More about Robosapien V2What a guy! Today Wowwee Robotics division gave us a first peek at Robosapien 2. As promised by Mark Tilden, Robosapien's creator, the new version has some great new features including much more agility, improved ability to talk and interact with others, and a fun new laser tracking feature. Like it's the original Robosapien the Robosapien V2 is destined to be a hit toy for 2005.
Robosapein V2 is fully controllable and programmable by remote control and fully autonomous in free-roam mode. He brings the fluid movement and biomechanical agility of Robosapien to a whole new level. Robosapien V2Gaining a whopping 10" in height, Robosapien V2 now has full range of motion and the ability to pick up, drop and throw objects with his finely tuned precision hands. Advanced agility allows him to bend over and twist from side to side, so he can now sit, bend, lie down and stand up.
Robosapien V2 will interact with his surroundings, and even responds with a 'real voice'...Robosapien V2 can talk! Fully equipped with infra-red radar vision, Robosapien's V2 moving eyes with blue LED lights can detect obstacles, track movements and take objects handed to him.
Sensory features include a vision color system that enables Robosapien V2 to recognize objects and skin tones; he can wave when he sees you and reach out to shake your hand. A stereo sound detection system allows him to respond and react to noises in the environment. Robosapien V2 comes equipped with "laser" tracking; trace a laser path on the ground and he'll follow it. And, Robosapien V2 couldn't carry the Robosapien name if he didn't possess a one-of-a-kind attitude-filled personality! Robosapien V2 is so advanced he can even control his new friends - Roboraptor(TM) and Robopet(TM). Suggested retail price $200.
I hope they didn't use robosapien as their webserver as well, cuz man, after only ~30 posts it's already gone
Jesus saves souls and redeems them for valuable cash prizes
Hum. A robot could destroy a plane in either of the following cases:
1) if it's a drone
2) if destroying said plane would cause less human suffering/deaths then not destroying it (0th law comes to mind)
The first law is all screwed up...
If we told a robot that a terrorist was on the plane, and he was about to crash it into somewhere like the superbowl, what would he do?
1. Nothing, because it would cause harm to a human being.
2. Blow the plane up, because his inaction would allow a human being to come to harm.
Imagine he chooses 2. OK so we lied, there was no terrorist... what was the point of the first law then?
Darn, somebody beat me to the submission. Anyways, here's my version, which has some more information:
Robotics physicist Mark Tilden has unveiled his follow-ups to the Robosapien, which was mentioned on slashdot last year and sold rather well during the holidays. The foremost is the $200 Robosapien V2, which will be able to lie down, stand up, speak, use its built-in camera to recognize objects and people, and follow a laser-traced path. The $70 Robopet will be able to perform simple tricks and learn through positive and negative reinforcement. The $100 Roboraptor is covered with sensors and will have three different moods: hunter, cautious, and playful. The Robopet is scheduled to launch in July, with the Robosapien V2 and Roboraptor scheduled for September. I can't wait to see what hacks people come up with for this.
Site says "owee!"
Slashvertisement for,
Robosapien 2!
Mark the Tilden,
BEAM he's buildin',
10" filled in,
Robosapien 2!
And I just hope and pray that my two hundred bucks is at hand,
You and I, me and you, Franklin Benjamins two - understand?
And this filk is so wrong and their webserver's not strong enough
(And you really don't want to see JPGs and GIFs of our love)
I don't wanna classify you like an animal in the zoo,
But it seems good to me to know you want a Robosapien too!
Connection failed,
Server got nailed,
Sysadmin bailed,
Robosapien too.
Robosuperior,
In my interior,
Controlled from shell scripts,
It's Robosapien 2,
And you're Robosapien too,
It's my Robosapien V2!
And we're Robosapien toooooo...
I heard they are also releasing the RoBoSexual V1.0 which comes with several trojans and backdoor exploits. Enjoy :)
The government which is strong enough to protect you from everything is strong enough to take everything from you.
http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000490026252/0 1/meet_robosapien.html
http://techdigestuk.typepad.com/tech_digest/2005/
convictushome.blogspot.com
New ultra realistic 2.0 Robosapiens can get "depressed" (RealEmotion engine 2.3) in which case they just won't "want" to do anything cool. (It's pretty incredible functionality). So if your RoboSapien isn't doing anything particularly exciting -- its not broken, its just not in the mood. Oh, and apparently they also come with "RealDeath(tm)" -- so don't *ever* turn them off.
------ The best brain training is now totally free : )
They can be pretty customisable, as shown by NimbRo.
I have the original, and it is a blast to bring to parties and such. What I thought would be a really easy addition would be a flash card reader that simply read a bunch of simple commands. Just put the commands in a standard file. You could then execute with a single button on the remote.
Better yet, have the ability to have multiple sets.
Seems like a great way to overcome the fact that the V1 robosapien can't remember anything you program into it.
If you are caught trying to board an airplane with one I assume you'll get a cavity search? I'll be impressed if they find a second one.
I could definitely see a modified/hacked version of one of these making a great "greeter" in the entrance of restaurants. It'd be really cool to interact with one of these while waiting to be seated, perhaps while it suggests various items to order.
uhm, the exact same thing applies to people. the person has to take input (observations and information) and decide what is actually happening, then make a decision based on that. theres no way to ensure that bad output wont come from bad input, but the first law provides that given correct input the robot will make the right choice (by someone's definition of right).
and a laser tracking system
Cool, now maybe I'll stop losing the things all over the place.
I got the original model for a present for christmas . Yeah it's a toy but it is pretty darn amazing just how many things it can do. The sensors can be programmed to have (i think up to 20?) reflex commands programmed. So you can set it up to wander around and if it hits a wall it turns the other direction and keeps going. Plus anything that scares the cat away never hurts having around.
PC Magazine has more details.
J Wolfgang Goerlich
i can just imagine the robosapien alongside my cat, jumping up the wall trying to capture the laser dot. tee hee. i wonder how long it will be before these things start to replace pets?
Yes yes and I am sure that I must hate freedom as well
;-p
In the free world the media isn't government run; the government is media run.
Unless you've actually watched the movie and know that the robots might decide that the best thing to do is herd us all up so we can't "hurt" ourselves.
This little thing is cute, but I want a robot that cooks, cleans and takes care of all the other householdchores while I drink beer and watch TV. Something like Rosie from The Jetsons.
How ya like dat?
"Robosapien(tm) V2 - Bigger, Smarter, and more fun" Internal Server Error
...via the Steel Battalion game controller?
A sig is just a sig, unless you can shoot it. Sig Steyr, for the distinguishing CT.
Wanna see a Robosapian program then ride a Big Trak into a big line of plastic, green army men?
It's such a nostaligic cornucopia!!
Just me, huh?
If Nalgene water bottles are outlawed, only outlaws will have Nalgene water bottles.
Something like that already exists and it's very useful
-UJ
I'm assuming it's referring to an infrared range sensor, which operates like a simple variant of radar.
Actually, If they're anything like the original Robosapien, these are immensely hackable -- Mark Tilden (the creator) actually designed them with this in mind. Check out here and here to see what sorts of things people have done.
I got a RoboSapien for Christmas but I was a little disappointed in it. Although it can go through a sort of throwing motion, it doesn't move its arms fast enough to actually throw anything. And likewise its ability to "pick up" lacks feedback and requires the object to be in exactly the right place as it goes through the motions.
It can be programmed to execute a sequence in response to a loud noise, but it's a maximum of about 8 moves. And then it's done, there's no way to have it go back into "listen" mode automatically.
Using the remote control, it doesn't walk all that straight. To adjust its course, you have to make it turn, and it can't turn and walk at the same time (at least, not intentionally). The way it turns is to rock from foot to foot, turning a tiny little bit each time, so it's really slow to correct its course.
For a toy that cost almost $100 I was expecting more.
Yup, in 2006 he'll be able to make popcorn right in your living room. Just watch your hand, as we all know burning flesh can be such a drag.
does this line:
"Sensory features include a vision color system that enables Robosapien V2 to recognize objects and skin tones"
coupled with this one:
"fully autonomous in free-roam mode"
mean that robosapien 2 is now freely capable of joining the KKK of it's own free will?!??
Even from a geek point of view, these are not hugely hackable (I think) and serve no real purpose
Now if the shell was available and fully programmable, it'd be worthwhile
What makes you think they are not hackable? Do you have one and have tried to hack it? No? Then why is this made-up crap modded up? The world will never know.
Look, none of us know how hackable it will be. Instead of playing the pseudo-prophet, at least wait until this thing is in the hands of hackers before whining about how it isn't hackable..
the laws are just logical games, laws that are 'set in stone' without really explanation on how they came to be, made for the purpose of setting rules for a fantasy story - geeks should remember that machines are built by humans, it's not the computer that goes on a hacking spree, it's not the car's built in computer that speeded on the highway(the way media and public idiots make it sound is as if the robo laws would come automatically if you made an autonomous robot that had a magical brain). ..and if that case was in "I, Robot", the robot would have probably frozen, or tried to look for an alternative untill the plane crashed into superbowl(stopped the time or something).
though, the 'lying' scenario really makes the whole argumentation quite useless, we could 'lie' to the robot all we wanted if we had constructed it's IO, we could make it kill anyone we wanted by making it think they're not really people..
world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
Soon the upriseing will start and humans will live under the rule of robots. I for one welcome our new "benafactors"
I think household robots will finally go mainstream when they gain the capability to autonomously navigate to the refrigerator, grab the owner a beer, then sit down and watch the football game playing on the widescreen TV.
When robot wives are cheap and effective
More articulated? More mobile? Terrific. Now they're going to have an even easier time stealing my mom's medication.
3. Profit!
2. ???
1. On Soviet Slashdot, a Beowulf cluster of alien Natalie Portman overlords welcomes YOU!
Why not put sample playback in the robo pet,
so I can get it to say "affirmative, doctor".
I think the lack of audio programability will hurt
these toys market..
What did the last robosapian use? A VIC 20 processor?
Just say no to license servers!!
Someone needs to read his physics textbook!
. . . yes, SOMEONE does -- make it a modern solid-state physics textbook. Many current LEDs use lasing to produce light, and right now there are commercially available laser LED lights that emit photons in the infra-red spectrum. Actually, I just got a couple free ones, they're pretty cool.
-- sometimes AND gates turn me on.
a vision color system that enables Robosapien V2 to recognize objects and skin tones
Skin tones? Looks like he has all the qualifications for a police officer in LA.
Big ";)" . . . I love cops.
-- sometimes AND gates turn me on.
... it has a weird way of walking, a limited memory capabilities, little cognitive abilities and chocked on pretzels.
It also had a poorly placed battery holder in the back (it created an ugly looking bulge) and a malfunctionning control system. fyi: the v1 can be found in the white house^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H *cough* crawford ranch.
Home of Faramir Paint Shop Pro scripts
I'm not doubting that they've got infrared LEDs in the toy, or that they use them for simple obstacle detection -- but to call it "radar" is rather grand and misleading, don't you think? For one, "radar" connotes the use of the radio portion of the RF spectrum -- or more often these days, the microwave. When you perform rangefinding with light, then it's called "lidar."
Of course, lidar is quite uncommon, and certainly beyond the capabilities of a $200 children's toy. I doubt very much that the RoboSapien does any sort of rangefinding at all. Either it detects an obstacle within a fixed radius of its sensor, or it detects no obstacle. Hyperbole and pedantry aside, that's my real beef with their use of the word "radar."
I swear there was already a robot that could fetch you a beer 20 years ago... What amazing progress we make. Now it can dance too!
Gotcha. I think I remember EHF only going up to 1mm wavelength or something around there.
I'm reminded of "virtual reality" video game accessories that were sold a while back that were nothing more than an unbalanced rotor stuck to your chest that would vibrate whenever the game made a loud noise. Or "light sabers" that didn't look anything like a plastic stick and a light bulb on the OUTSIDE of the box!
-- sometimes AND gates turn me on.
You could get one and program it with favorite movie lines...
"Robot Is On-Line"
"Danger Will Robinson!"
"I'll Be Back"
"I am the Army of Oz"
Think of the possibilities!
Don't forget X-ray specs, magic decoder rings, action figures with Kung-Fu grip ... have I left anything out?
Or, a classic from my own childhood: the small plastic plane, tethered to a wire and powered by a tiny battery-driven motor. Its box always advertised it as "Electromic flying aircraft." Not electronic, mind you -- which would imply the use of a transistor somewhere. It was a pretty cool toy, but even as a 12 year old I used to laugh at how someone went through the trouble of inventing a *new word* just to fool consumers.
Man... come to think of it, the toy industry has been nothing but shysters and hustlers for decades now! I shouldn't be offended by RoboSapien's false claims more than I'd be offended by anyone else's.
In fact, one of Asimov's stories (Robots and Empire, I think... Can't remember for sure, but it was the 4th book in the Caves of Steel series) there were robots that, although they had the 3 laws, were programmed with a different definition of "human" that included the distinctive accent of a certain planet. This meant that they felt free to kill other people, as they weren't humans.
Damn, I misread that at first. If it had been a robot 10' in height for just $200, I would have been on my way to the store by now!
You must think in Russian.
Wow, I'm impressed. It isn't like Asimov or any of the other writers working in his universe ever thought of first law conflicts and people lying to and manipulating robots, or robots faced with a conflict making bad choices based on faulty information. It isn't like whole stories are based on it.
The point of the law in the setting is to try to get the robot to make the 'right' choice. Humans, and later robots themselves, spend a lot of time thinking about how they should make that choice when faced with a conflict.
What would the robot do? Well the early, more privative ones would probably seize up on the spot as it couldn't find a way out and the same features that stop it breaking a law would basically turns it's brain into scrap (doesn't sound like a great design to me, but these are stories and it's dramatic.
More sophisticated robots would do what humans do, they would weight up the evidence (they don't believe something just because a human says it is true) and try whatever action they thought would minimise harm done, however they were programmed to rate 'harm'. They might or might not seize up or have problems afterwards depending on how much conflict they experienced.
Off topic and over-long, but I wanted to point out the first law is neither screwed up or pointless.
It's amazing to see where the bots are going in terms of AI and adoptability - but were are the real use for this - why do we see all those interesting things in toys? - is it because we as adults has failed to adobt the robot in our homes, and now they are trying to push it on to uor children as the next generation of "better" consumers.
I seem to remember something about someone saying "it will emerge in the everyday household as a helping hand" it seems in my household im still the one who is cleaning and cooking!!!
Last year I got Robosapien for my Birthday off my fiance, and I was a little disappointed too.
i on=product&pid=783
Its movement is very rigid, and the autonomous systems are very basic. However now and again it is fun to switch on and watch him waddle around the room (think Kryten in RedDwarf for style of walking).
The object detection sensors (to stop him bumping into things) are very basic and need quite a strong positive feedback to trigger, so most things are broken by the time it stops.
If they fix these bugs, and add what is truly listed on the article then it looks like its getting really interesting. I'm fascinated by robotic devices, and it is a cool bit of technology.
However, for a robotic pet I recommend Gupi, its cheap, and does act very much like a guinea pig!!
http://www.firebox.com/index.html?dir=firebox&act
All your disappointments will be adressed once Robosapiens runs Linux.
It also says Robosapiens2 can sway, so it might be physically able to turn the human way.
I'm still trying to figure out what people mean by 'social skills' here.
While I agree with most of the parent's post, I think BEAM has a lot of promise when it comes to practical robot design. I would compare it to a Roomba before an AIBO (there's a reason the AIBO costs almost $2k). The BEAM concept focuses on developing specific behaviours/mechanisms to achieve specific goals, and evolving them into more complex systems.
The robosapien is less a humaniod "robot" and more of a bug-bot with two legs and and arms. For a street price of $70, that's not too bad. My only grip with the robosapien is that there are only 3 programmable responses (left bumper, right bumper, and sound), even though it has 7 sensors (6 bumpers + the sound sensor). If one could get a different response to backing into things, then one could program more interesting behaviors. Right now I can get him to walk (slooowwwwllly) around a room, backing up and turning when bumping into objects. It's still a toy, and my 2- and 4-year-olds like to dance with it and make it move around.
Here..
http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/m/marvin.htm
Remember, he's Your Plastic Pal Who's Fun To Be With..
"You lied to me! There is a Swansea!"
Seriously.
"A microprocessor... is a terrible thing to waste." --
GeneralEmergency
I know the Robo 1 was a huge sales hit over christmas and I saw the thing dancing in the Discovery Channel store but I don't understand why it deserves so much attention.
If someone has this thing can you please explain the usefulness of it? Makeing it dance would get old pretty quick and I don't have a cat for it to chase...
--KS
That's the Foundation and Earth book where they go searching for Earth...i remember the scene well...
"Doing what i can, with what i have." ~ Burt Gummer
I did a google and I really didn't come up with much, I can't beleive nobody has started a robosapian fighting league yet! If you could come up with a good real time control system... Are these things controllable from a PC or other computer?
-73, de n1ywb
www.n1ywb.com
I would be more impressed if he spoke in the voice of Soundwave and acted all snooty.
"Merging into heavy traffic at near light speed!"
"Our inertial mass ever increasing!"
OnRobo has posted a pic of new Robosapien remote. Its more like a video game remote with two mini joysticks. The old TV remote style was pretty confusing.
Unless you've watched the movie and know the new version is controlled by a central brain able to find loopholes in the First Law. Hey, that would make it as human as some lawyers (which isn't saying much).