Linux-powered Robots From France? Oui!

An anonymous reader writes "A French start-up created to build autonomous, easily programmable, affordable humanoid robots expects to ship its first product — a humanoid household service robot running Linux — in early 2007. The walking, talking, WiFi-enabled Nao household robot will stand 21.6 inches tall, and will feature 23 "degrees of freedom" of motion — three more than the 14-inch tall Choromet android announced earlier this week by four Japanese companies. Nao's extra degrees of freedom appear to come in the form of gripping hands."

Comments

Humanoid Robots are SOOO Mid-20th Century

[eno2001]

The use of humanoid robots will be limited to pointless tasks (greeters at Walmart)in the future. They are difficult to make, difficult to maintain (mechanically) and won't ever match the abilities of humans as long as we keep them "humanoid". The cost will never be less than the minimal benefits. You'd be better off with holograms for greeters once the technology is ironed out. In fact, for virtually any human/sentient machine interaction you're better off with holograms or VR. The only need for robotics is when you're dealing with physical interaction with objects (assembly or dangerous tasks) or people (surgery, sex bots built like spiders with sexy female human legs in black hosiery and the head of Amanda Donohoe, and let's face it... combat). And in every instance, the humanoid form is not that great. I want my robotic surgeon to have lasers built into his multiple tendrils (hopefully a few million of them) and nanoscale filaments that can perform cellular level cuts and sutures. No humanoid android will ever have that ability. Humanoid robots are overrated. Now if you want some applications for humanoid androids, I hear Disney has some openings in the "It's a Small World" display...