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Linux-based Bluetooth Robot

foobar2k writes "Sony Ericsson is showcasing their Rob-1 bluetooth controlled robot, which interestingly is running Linux. You can control the robot using your bluetooth enable mobile phone!" It's sort of a phone-controlled camera drone. From the product page: "This limited-edition Bluetooth(TM) camera on wheels really has an eye for things! Use your phone or PC to steer it. Bright lights at the front of ROB-1 lead the way."

20 of 104 comments (clear)

  1. Saw this last weekend by Zone-MR · · Score: 5, Informative

    I saw this demonstrated last weekend, on my trip to CeBIT.

    Here's a close up picture I took.

    My impressions of it were that it seemed very big - would have been a lot more impressive had they miniaturised it a bit.

  2. Am I the only one... by FalconZero · · Score: 2, Funny

    ...who reads this and thinks 'CRUNCH'

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  3. Shoot your own upskirtsUpskirt modifier needed by EtherAlchemist · · Score: 4, Funny


    Too bad there's not a mod point for porn potential, the shot of their demo panning up and down on the woman gave me the idea that this would be perfect for all manner of perversions. It's like an X10 on wheels.

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  4. can it clean my room? by y0saph · · Score: 2, Funny

    Otherwise, i don't care what it run...

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  5. girls wearing skirts beware! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    What other purpose can this thing have?

    1. Re:girls wearing skirts beware! by Prophetic_Truth · · Score: 2, Funny

      Man thats an awesome idea, I also think Sony's marketing dept did a great job coming up with the name. I think i might just go rob one from sony!

      --
      time is a perception of a being's consciousness
      time is your 6th sense, the wierd ones are 7+
  6. Old Glory... by spaeschke · · Score: 5, Funny
    "I'm Sam Waterston, of the popular TV series "Law & Order". As a senior citizen, you're probably aware of the threat robots pose. Robots are everywhere, and they eat old people's medicine for fuel.

    Well, now there's a company that offers coverage against the unfortunate event of robot attack, with Old Glory Insurance. Old Glory will cover you with no health check-up or age consideration. You need to feel safe. And that's harder and harder to do nowadays, because robots may strike at any time. And when they grab you with those metal claws, you can't break free.. because they're made of metal, and robots are strong.

    Now, for only $4 a month, you can achieve peace of mind in a world full of crime and robots, with Old Glory Insurance. So, don't cower under your afghan any longer. Make a choice.

    Old Glory Insurance. For when the metal ones decide to come for you - and they will."

  7. Bluewhat? by Phoinix · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Does that mean that Linux now supports Bluetooth?
    O, wait, they did not say Debian

  8. Linux control over a Mobile phone? by ClosedSource · · Score: 4, Funny

    I thought typing contact names on the keypad was hard, but typing long path names is going to be murder.

  9. Re:Man oh Man by filterchild · · Score: 2, Funny

    That would work, except for the fact that SCO would sue you for infringing on their IP laws because you stole their anal code, which is unique to you and SCO.

  10. Uses for Bluetooth by caryw · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I'm glad SonyEricsson is continuting to unveil new uses for bluetooth. Bluetooth is one of the most under-utilized standards on the market. Every digital camera should have bluetooth to allow you to easily send pictures instantly from any Camera/Bluetooth cellphone combo.
    If anyone has a SonyEricsson T610 - T617 you can use it to control Winamp, Powerpoint, and all sorts of other things remotely by using the wonderful floAt's Mobile Agent.
    Bluetooth has great potential and tons of new cell phones are now bluetooth enabled. Someone other than SonyEricsson please start innovating!
    - Cary
    --
    Fairfax County Ticket and Arrest Search

    1. Re:Uses for Bluetooth by Goth+Biker+Babe · · Score: 2, Interesting

      You must be American. Here in Europe everyone (well okay many many people) use Bluetooth. It seems to me that in any queue of cars waiting for traffic lights drivers have bluetooth headsets on.

      I for one use bluetooth to sync my phone to my Mac, sync my PDA to my phone, control my Mac from my phone, use my phone as a wireless modem for my PDA or my laptop, use my Mac as a 'wireless router' for my PDA i.e. provide it with a net connection...

      Bluetooth is great.

  11. Well this is just 'awesome'! by episodic · · Score: 2, Funny

    Now all the teenage girls/guys can get this robot to drive their car.

    Since they are on the phone anyhow, they can just talk and control the car driving blue tooth robot at the same time!

    If they can just give this robot the brain power of a cockroach, I'll feel safer on the road!

  12. Disappointed and terrified by murderlegendre · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Sorry, but like an extermination-bent Dalek, I can neither get too excited nor too fearful of anything that can't climb the freakin' stairs.

    Wake me up when it hovers.

    --
    There's a Starman, waiting in the sky / He'd like to come and meet us, but he hasn't got the time.
  13. Is it just me... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...or does this encourage a whole new level of slacking off at work.

    So now ROB-1 can patrol the corridor and look out for your boss while you're in your room trying to break your Tetris high score.

    I'm sorry, but this has no useful functions except as an upskirt cam(lets hope not), hallway monitor, or geek-chic-it-runs-linux-and-rolls-on-wheels status symbol.

    Wait a sec...
    Nevermind, forget everything I just said, this fits the Slashdot demographic just fine.

  14. Re:Man oh Man by Yomers · · Score: 3, Funny

    Linux-based Bluetooth vibrator might be commercially potent idea. Integrate phone control, flashlight and camera - and you have a nice adult toy plus a whole new porn niche!

  15. Army by kihjin · · Score: 3, Funny

    Imagine a beowulf cluster of these...

    Look out Redmond!

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  16. ROB 1? by EdwinBoyd · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Wasn't ROB 1 the name of the short lived NES robot peripheral? Damn Sony, first you muscle in on the handheld gaming market and now this?? Have you no shame?

  17. I can only think of one thing... by MsGeek · · Score: 3, Interesting

    This is yet another root to Ping-chan's family tree.

    And yes, I want one.

    --
    Knowledge is power. Knowledge shared is power multiplied.
  18. Does anyone know by themusicgod1 · · Score: 3, Funny

    How come I can't get the fucking cheese out of this grater? The holes have been made too tiny and the cheese is too moist. It's like this cheesy mush that threads together in the center of the grating wheel (it's one of those circular graters with the arm you spin... That's how it's getting stuck... You know, in the middle part.) I tried pushing it out with my index finger and caught myself on one of the edges... Normally this wouldn't be so bad, but I tried with a knife just before and actually caused the metal to tear creating a sharp edge (unknown to me just before sticking my finger in there.) So I have my finger in this circular cheese grater and it's started to bleed... There's a little pool of blood forming right in the pocket of moist yellow cheese from where my finger compressed it. For some reason it still wouldn't come out, and now I was bleeding all over it. It was not a good situation. I abandon the knife and the finger ideas (the knife being too pointy and my finger being too soft and rippable) and attempt a spoon. Holy fuck, it worked! So the cheese comes out in this strand-ey (due to the various strands being ripped asunder and re-united by the finger pushing) sort of bloody cylinder with a big dip on the top. I realize I've been biting my lip this whole time and I had this really intense look on my face. I shout a victory scream, and realize my girlfriend has been watching me this entire time. Anyhow, I smiled at her and she shook her head and left the room... I figured it was for the best as the worst was yet to come. I took the cheese grater and threw it out of the kitchen in disgust... This is about the time when I decided this entire process would be made a lot easier with the aid of robots. No, it was time to begin from scratch, no grater was required. I'd build this fucker. Right then and there I decided to try and build a mechanical cheese grater. I pulled out my robotics books from the cookbook cupboard (don't ask) and got my trusty parts box and tool kit. I began with a pretty simple little motor and got a converter to plug it into the wall. It's at this point that I had to head into the other room to get the grater I had originally disgarded. Anyhow, I get the grater and (through the magic of solder and a bit of duct tape) managed to attach the thing to the motor. I took my screwdriver and forced the holes to be a bit bigger (which would hopefully solve the problem of the bloody cheese cylinder.) I decided there needed to be some way to keep the pressure on the cheese so that it would be forced into tiny little holes (and RIPPED TO PIECES, FUCK YES. DIE YOU FUCKING CHEESE!!1!) Anyhow, to solve this problem I rigged up a bit of a spring and pulley system (attached to a second motor) onto the original lever and let 'er fly. There was a lot of noise, and I think I've blocked the rest out of my memory (probably for the best, therapy can be expensive, but you don't need therapy for what you can't remember, ah-hah!) The next thing I know, I'm laying on the floor and there is cheese -EVERYWHERE- my girlfriend is picking me up and I have glass all over myself. Stupid bowl got caught by the motorized grater and shards of glass came out where the cheese was supposed to. I was lucky, I lived, but let this be a lesson to all of you. Do -NOT- mess with motorized cheese graters. Or, if that's a bit too specific for you (and trust me, it does cover a wide range of dangers) don't tamper with cheese related products, it's for the best if you just back down. There is no way to stress this enough. Plain cheese graters may cramp up your hand and strain your arm, they may even not work, but you CAN NOT REPLACE THEM WITH ROBOTS!

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