Slashdot Mirror
House-Sitting Robot Hits Store Shelves in Japan
Eh-Wire writes "Roborior, a house-sitting robot armed with a digital camera, infrared sensors, and a videophone is on sale in select Japanese department stores. The house-sitting robot can detect break-ins with its infrared sensors and then call the owners cell phone and stream video to the tiny screen. At $2600 each the Roborior is not cheap. For those that require something a little more substantial, Tmusk, the manufacturer of Roborior, has produced a four legged version called Banryu. This one is the size of a large dog and sells for around $18,000. It's not supposed to shed hair or sleep on the furniture which could make it quite popular."
fitting a camera in every room?
Do the Japanese not have security alarm companies? Having a picture sent to your cell phone is nice, but I have Brinks. If my alarm goes off, a person calls me and they are ready to call the police. If my fire alarm is set off, a person calls the local FD first, then me. If, in any case, I don't give the correct codeword, a hostage situation is assumed. I'd rather have that than some glorified roomba.
It appears to me that robots in the home will most certainly be commonplace in the near future. Japan already has lots of research on how ot make robots move, look, and even act human. Despite such aesthetic devices, robots are already starting to invade our lives. Manufacturing facilities, automated landing systems in aircraft, room sweeping, room mopping, and now security systems. The cost of R&D is high which is what makes the $2600 security robot so expensive. But, much like the Aibo, the more people that purchase such devices they will inevitably become cheaper. With that said, I encourage anyone who can afford one to purchase one and help drive the price down. Heck.. if I had the money I might spring of one of those space trips offered by Virgin Galactic or even another country.
Ouch. Some words were just not meant to have 'robo' melded with them.
Robuard sounds much better!
Is it just me or does anyone else wonder what's up with the Japanese obsession with robots? Nothing they've come up with is even remotely practical. Buy a good alarm system. I'm sure it's a heck of a lot better and costs much less. These things are even too expensive as toys.... What's the point? Sure it's cool to watch them. They are little more then dancing calculators right now. Once someone manages to get an AI system up to the point of being as smart as say a dog... then these thing might actually be able to do something useful.