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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.
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.
Buy Lego Mindstorm and AK-47 then make your own "killer app" :D
A better option, with less chance of getting you locked up for murder is this:
1) Install security cameras and hook them up to an image analysis system and your TV set.
2) When the software detects an intruder, turn on the TV set with an IR blaster and bring up a picture of the room and the intruder.
3) Overlay two circles with cross-hairs and flash the text "MISSILE DEFENCE SYSTEM - ACQUIRING LOCK". Move the cross-hairs around like they do in the movies.
4) Eventually bring the cross-hairs together over the intruder, make a nice loud chime sound and flash "LOCK ACQUIRED - FIRE WHEN READY" in big letters.
5) If the crims are still in the house at this point they deserve to have your stuff.
Be careful. People in masks cannot be trusted.