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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?
OK, I read the abysmally short article, and I'm a bit confused. Wouldn't it be *slightly* more effective if it called the POLICE first, before calling you? I mean, if it was just a cat or something it'd be annoying, but in the event of a real robbery it'd be more effective to call the cops first.
On another note, the thing is portable. And bloody expensive. So just tack on another $2600 in value to whatever the robbers steal.
> The house-sitting robot can detect break-ins with it's infrared sensors and then call the owners cell phone and stream video to the tiny screen.
Now you can watch your treasures being cleaned out as it happens, rather than having to wait and rewind the security camera tapes when you get home.
Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
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.
I want a robot that will shoot the intruders instead.
Someone else mentioned putting cameras in every room, and the reality is that's already trivial. You can even use free software to detect image changes that might be burglars and send those images to a safe remote location.
Freedom = (Meaningful - Coerced) Choice != (Speech | Beer^2), and sad sock puppets' bad mods avail them naught.
for the fees you would pay for this robot, you could install very well concealed nanny cams and a premium grade professionally monitored security system (think brinks).
The bot should be targeted at those who can't afford this kind of system, which would mean it should NOT be the most valuable thing in the house. With that kind of price tag however, anyone who breaks in will most certainly steal the bot first. I know I would If I decided to rob a place which employed one.
VLC FOR MAC IS DYING! IF YOU DEVELOP, PLEASE SAVE IT!!
After all, I could look around for money but it would be much more efficient to throw a blanket over the robot, steal it, and put it up for sale on ebay.
Or, I could start a new fad by mailing the owners pictures of the robot vacationing in other countries.
Wait, it could take it's own damned pictures!
This is not a dream, not a dream...we are transmitting from the year 1-9-9-9.
Now... if they'd only build it into my Roomba or Scuba so it can scan the house while it cleans.....
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.
House-Sitting Robot Hits Store Shelves in Japan
Old people fall. Young people spring. Rich people summer and winter.
Actually, I suppose it's closer to a deep thought to note that many Japanese are very security minded even though crime is so rare here. A few weeks ago the police were handing out flyers in the station to warn people about a "crime wave". Something like 30 burlaries in a month for a large district was really worrying them. Many of the new apartments have gated access with cameras and intercoms and all that stuff.
Freedom = (Meaningful - Coerced) Choice != (Speech | Beer^2), and sad sock puppets' bad mods avail them naught.
House sitting robot
No gun or sharp knives to kill?
Expensive door stop
"Who says nothing is impossible? Some people do it every day!" - Alfred E. Neuman
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.
... Robocop then.
...has more info about the expensive version.
http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn3061
How about sharks with frickin' laser beams attached to their heads?
Now that would be awesome!
Mutated, ill tempered sea bass would do if we can't get the sharks though.
Robot: You have 20 seconds to drop your guns. 20... 19... 18...
Burglar: drops gun.
Robot: 17... 16... 15...
Tsunami -- You can't bring a good wave down!
does the four-legged one hump your leg?
There is very little crime in the manner of home break-ins and street mugging in Japan. So a 'house-sitting robot' should best call the owner to determine what the issue is before calling the police.
If it is determined that a crime is happening, then the police can be called. The crimes are recorded and the criminals can be captured. Eventually the robot makers will figure out that the recordings of the crimes should not be stored in the robot itself since the criminals will be destroying the robot pronto after breaking into the house.
Japan has a lot more social cohesion than the US or Europe. People and police generally know who the criminals are. Street criminals can expect to get caught. It establishes credibility for a job as soldier in the major white-collar organized-crime syndicates of Japan. I know, that doesn't seem too bright, but street criminals usually aren't that bright.