NAO Humanoid Robot Set To Hit the Market

KentuckyFC writes "Earlier this year, Paris-based Aldebaran-Robotics picked up $8 million in venture capital funding to help commercialize its NAO humanoid robot. The target market for this device is research labs working on the next generation of robotic hardware and software. Today, the company has posted a detailed spec of NAO on the arXiv saying that it expects the robot to cost about $15,000 each. That's cheap compared to other humanoids. Fuitsu's HOAP humanoids cost $50,000 each and various estimates price Honda's Asimo at $1 million per bot, although they are not for sale. Aldebaran-Robotics says that NAO's cost should come down to about $6,000 as production ramps up."

Comments

Posterity will condemn us...

[Stanistani]

A hundred years from now, whether the readers are C or Fe, they will get a feeling of nausea reading about the 'retail prices' of 'humanoids.'

Re:Posterity will condemn us...

[Harmonious Botch]

A hundred years from now, whether the readers are C or Fe, they will get a feeling of nausea reading about the 'retail prices' of 'humanoids.'

No, because it will be illegal to talk about the robocaust.

Re:Posterity will condemn us...

[CogDissident]

To be fair, even natural-born humans have a price, 5.1 million dollars if I remember right, according to the US government.

Re:Posterity will condemn us...

[4D6963]

To be fair, even natural-born humans have a price, 5.1 million dollars if I remember right, according to the US government.

The subtlety being in the word 'retail'. The US government doesn't sell people in "people stores".

Or does it?

Re:Posterity will condemn us...

[Tumbleweed]

No, because it will be illegal to talk about the robocaust.

You sound like a Robocaust denier!

Re:Posterity will condemn us...

[Godji]

Indeed it does not. One can only get a person through the OEM channels.

Re:Posterity will condemn us...

[swarsron]

not yet. But since one can use bodyfat to create biodiesel and with the rising cost of oil, an unbalanced budget ...

Re:Posterity will condemn us...

[Anonymous Coward]

5.1 million dollars if I remember right, according to the US government.

It Depends.

If you're being poisoned by air pollution, it's $6.1 million dollars (down from $8 million in 2000) but if a company is dumping poison in your water supply, it's $8.8 million dollars. If you need to know how much more to pay for little rubber caps to make your Pinto not explode, the DoT suggests $5.8 million, but starting this year wants everyone to analyze their work at $3.2 and $8.4 million, just to be sure. $5.8 million is also used by the FAA.

Laura Taylor of North Carolina State University, said her figure was lower because it emphasized differences in pay for various risky jobs, not just risky industries as a whole.[emphasis mine]

Anyone have a link to the actual study? I've found all sorts of people pontificating on whether it's done right or even the right thing to do, but not the study itself. I'm interested in knowing whether these "various" risky jobs included illegal immigrants in jobs like meatpacking or whether certain very dangerous and well-paying jobs were left out (surely an accidental oversight), similar to how energy and food costs are too "volatile" (read: embarrassing) to consider in inflation.

Re:Posterity will condemn us...

[bondjamesbond]

And you won't be politically correct to say the "R" word... but it's OK for Robots to say it.

Re:Posterity will condemn us...

[Emperor Zombie]

Robocaust? What robocaust? I've never heard of a robocaust before. It sounds like something made up by a /.er.

Yeah, everyone knows the correct term is Robocalypse.

Not soon enough!

[__aailob1448]

I want my robot NAO!

Science Fiction to Science

[Van Cutter Romney]

Somewhere in the back of my mind I have this strange feeling that we are slowly heading into Asimov's world. And all the problems (and benefits) that come along with it ...

Re:Science Fiction to Science

[TheSync]

where is my flying car?

Try a Powered Parachute - no license to fly a single-seater, and they can be had for a little over $5000. With an airspeed of 30 MPH, you will easily outpace most rush hour LA freeways :)

Re:Science Fiction to Science

[sm62704]

Asimov's universe has robots being banned on Earth, robot colonies dying, and robotics itself dying as well, with R. Daneel Olivaw being the only remaining robot in a galaxy with no non-human sentient life (except on Gaia, where everything is sentient).

I think Asimov's robots will be about as like the real future's robots as his Multivac is to the internet. I don't see robots being banned.

Re:Science Fiction to Science

[Stanistani]

I think we are more likely to be governed by these Three Laws:

1. A citizen may not criicize the government or, through inaction, allow the government to be criticized.

2. A citizen must obey orders given to it by the government, except where such orders would conflict with corporate profits.

3. A citizen must protect itself from unregulated media as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

Re:Science Fiction to Science

[DragonWriter]

Is that statement really true? It contradicts my knowledge. One example I could think off was ths short novel "Little Lost Robot" where the first law is modified.

Apparently, we're both right; Asimov's portrayal of the laws is inconsistent -- they are at times (particularly in later works) portrayed as fundamental and inherent in the nature of the positronic brain, and at times (particularly in earlier works) portrayed as alterable, engineered safeguard's. Wikipedia gives a rationalization of this (without citation, perhaps OR) that, given that the earlier-later distinction follows both the history of when they were written and the place the stories have in the continuum, its arguable that the laws were original engineered but later so basic to the extraordinarily complex designs that you'd have to throw out centuries of the mathematics of positronic brain design and start over to build robots without them, so they were in effect set in stone. Given the historical inconsistencies in the series, though, I don't know that this rationalization is particularly necessary or convincing, but its out there.

Before anyone asks..

[Blice]

Yes, it does run Linux.

Why humanoid?

[Anonymous Coward]

I don't see the appeal to having a humanoid robot. The robots in Wall*e for example were all designed for a function.

I think of any robot as a machine. They are there to serve a purpose. Even the IVR systems make me angry when they imply "I'm sorry. I didn't get that". No, the computer didn't recognize what I said. And "you" aren't sorry.

Anthropomorphizing robots, cute as they are in Wall*e, is insulting to the beauty of that which is life.

Re:Why humanoid?

[Wiarumas]

Just to bring up an interesting point, in the Animatrix's story about the rise of power of machines, they start out as humanoid (as we designed them that way) and evolve into insect-like creatures by the end as they continue to improve upon their robotic designs.

Re:Why humanoid?

[Brigadier]

Somewhere in my head I'm picturing you in some basement building some contraption and talking to it as if Dr Einstein.

Your zealousness is disconcerting. somewhere, in another time there is a small boy, and a machine and an angry mom pointing a rifle straight at your head.......

Re:Why humanoid?

[fireboy1919]

Anthropomorphizing robots, cute as they are in Wall*e, is insulting to the beauty of that which is life.

That's only when the robots look like robots. When the robots look like hot chicks that are anatomically correct (if well-endowed), then it's a complement to the beauty that is life.

And by a complement, I mean that I want two of them. One to complement each arm.

Re:Why humanoid?

[pitchpipe]

I don't see the appeal to having a humanoid robot.

Sex.

Anthropomorphizing robots, cute as they are in Wall*e, is insulting to the beauty of that which is life.

Anthropomorphizing robots is all about what my previous statement was about. Fuck the beauty of life, we're talking utilization here.

Re:Why humanoid?

[Kingrames]

"Fuck the beauty of life,"

I am intrigued by your ideas and wish to subscribe to your newsletter.

Re:Why humanoid?

[Sethumme]

You are right that robots are built to serve a specific purpose, but keep in mind that most robotic functions are ones that were previously done by us humans. So it's quite possible that one day we will want a robot that performs some human task that requires human proportions, such as carrying our bags while at the same time navigating stairs and fitting through doorways or even into cars.

Of course, we could also want robots for companionship, in the same way people find comfort in pets. But in that case, we'd design the robot to look like Robin Williams.

Re:Why humanoid?

[Anonymous Coward]

Specialized robots are useless outside their function, and are thus just expensive deadweight when not in use. For example, a Roomba is great at vacuuming a floor, but when the floor is clean it can't do anything else. It can't carry boxes or wash dishes. You'd need additional robots for those specialized tasks, and they're going have the same "deadweight" problem as the Roomba too.

A humanoid robot would be able to do any physical job that a human could do. Such robots would be versatile enough to be useful all the time. A single humanoid robot vacuums the floor, then it carries boxes, and then washes dishes, and then etc etc etc. A humanoid robot would always be useful in some way, and thus more efficient in the long run.

Re:Why humanoid?

[Red Flayer]

And by a complement, I mean that I want two of them. One to complement each arm.

FWIW, I'm not sure using them as arm-candy would be the best use. You wouldn't be utilizing the "anatomically correct" portion of the design, which means they'd be over-engineered for your intended purpose. :)

Personally, I'd like anatomically incorrect female robots. I don't want something that feels like the real thing, I want something that feels *better* than the real thing. But maybe that's just me.

Re:Why humanoid?

[Mike1024]

I don't see the appeal to having a humanoid robot.

Because we want them to operate in a world that (1) humans are well adapted to and (2) that has in places been adapted to be specifically human-compatible.

Functional designs like the roomba are all very well, but can they ascend stairs? Operate a door handle? Press buttons positioned for humans to use? Pick up a variety of objects without needing special manipulators?

And that's just what you'd need for a robot to go to the coffee machine and bring me a coffee, stopping off at the mail room to get my mail.

No doubt, if you want to travel fast wheels are better than legs. But to do human-like tasks in human-adapted buildings, you've got to expect to end up with some human-like design elements.

Re:23 Inches

[tb()ne]

The picture states that the robot has "23 inches" and points to a questionable area...

Whoever annotated the photo apparently felt obliged to graphically tie every feature to a part of the robot. So, in addition to the impressive 23" (which apparently ends mid-way down the thigh), the robot has emotions in its head, an embedded CPU in its mouth, and Linux in its belly.

The technical specs (yes, it runs linux)

[__aailob1448]

For all the details, hit this PDF

NAOs head is equipped with an x86 AMD GEODE 500 MHz CPU motherboard with 256 Mb SDRAM. An additional 1Gb Flash memory is available. Communication with the robot is possible through WiFi 802.11g protocol and through Ethernet port. The CPU manages audio, video, and WiFi and other advanced modules. One ARM7-60MHz microcontroller located in the torso distributes information to all the actuator module microcontrollers (Microchip 16 bit dsPICS) through a RS485 bus (throughput of 460[Kbits=s]). There are two RS485 buses, one that connects the ARM7 microcontroller to the dsPICS modules of the upper part of the body, and the other that connects the ARM7 to the dsPICS modules of the lower part of the body. This bus partition permits to increase the data throughput.

The ARM-7 microcontroller communicates with the CPU board through a USB-2 bus with a theoretical throughput of 11[Mbits=s]. It can be used to control the robots stabilityusing the inertial unit. The operating system is based on Linux, but the whole system can be modified.

Sensors:

30 FPS CMOS videocamera 1
Gyrometer 2
Accelerometer 3
Magnetic rotary encoder (MRE) 34
FSR 8
Infrared sensor (emitter/receiver) 2
Ultrasonic sensor 2
Loudspeaker 2
Microphone 4

Re:The technical specs (yes, it runs linux)

[Thelasko]

I think the WiFi is the best part of the specs. You can have the robot run around with all of the complex computing done by a cluster of high end computers in another room.

How humanoid is she?

[sm62704]

Ok, this is quite unlike me but I clicked the link and... Terminator 0.0.1 (alpha) looks like a robotic clown. She has no breasts, looks like sh'e made of HARD plastic, and doubtless has no vagina.

I'm going to pay $15,000 for that? Come on, dude, I want one like Data's daughter! What are you guys smoking? Speaking of smoking, I can get a real twenty five year old human crack whore for twenty bucks.

Re:How humanoid is she?

[gstoddart]

I'm going to pay $15,000 for that? Come on, dude, I want one like Data's daughter! What are you guys smoking? Speaking of smoking, I can get a real twenty five year old human crack whore for twenty bucks.

Well, you get what you pay for, I guess.

Skanky crack whore. $20, but nasty at any price.

Real doll. $6000, but really interactive.

Hard-plastic humanoid with no sexy bits. $15000.

Sentient, intelligent android with positronic brain and capacity to learn. Priceless.

Cheers

Re:Wow... $6,000

[PoliTech]

A partnership is more likely next.

Roboticized "Real Dolls" for the lonly slashdotter in your life.

There are already a number of USB cybersex devices on the market right now.

Actually I think that a Roboticized "Real Doll" device would be of great benifit to those suffering from dementia, mental retardation, the infirm, and even for old or ugly people who may not have any other form of companionship.

Wasn't there some announced pilot study on the use of dolls for people with dementia a couple of years back?

The Roboticized "Real Doll" idea is not as crazy as some might first think.

Too Short

[ta ma de]

If it can't reach the beer in the fridge, then who really cares.

Description

[Subm]

FTA: "Initially, delivered with basic behaviors, the robot will be, at its market introduction, the ideal introduction to robots. Eventually, with many improved behaviors, it will become an autonomous family companion. Finally, with more sophisticated functions, it will adopt a new role, assisting with daily tasks (monitoring, etc.)"

Will, it, have, full, comma, functionality?

Boston Dynamics Big Dog is the best

[MrSteveSD]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1czBcnX1Ww

Why can't someone make a bipedal robot as impressive as bigdog?

Re:Boston Dynamics Big Dog is the best

[OzPeter]

Although big dog is great (and I was amazed at its abilities), I pissed myself laughing at this one instead: Another big dog robot

Robo-clone

[Smivs]

A humanoid robot that looked like me would be great, not just 'cos it looks like me (poor thing!), but I could send it to work and stay at home all day reading /.
Oh, hang on, I do that anyway. Oh well!

Emotions?

[devotedlhasa]

I think you ought to know I'm feeling very depressed...

Am I missing the point here?

[Duncan Blackthorne]

So.. let me get this straight: It costs $15,000USD, is approximately the size of a six-month old baby, and looks like some plastic toy? Sure, I read another of the comments here describing what hardware and software it's running, and that's all cool and everything, but seriously: what is it good for other than it's value as a very expensive high-tech toy? It's too short, and I'm sure, too weak and/or clumsy, to do anything really useful for you in your day-to-day life? Seriously, I may be missing an important point here, but I don't see where someone would want to pay so much money for what seems to amount to a very expensive hackers toy.

Re:Am I missing the point here?

[e2d2]

It's mainly for researchers to devise the best techniques for a humanoid, and then apply them to the real world using "real" robots that are yet to come. Think about it, all of the flaws you mentioned are the same engineering challenges they need to meet in future robots. This robot is simply a cornerstone to get started thinking about those problem sets. The solutions start in research labs and makes their way to commercial applications slowly but surely. But this is almost always the first step. Robotics is a new field after all, regardless of what the movies tell us.

Re:Am I missing the point here?

[DragonWriter]

Sure, I read another of the comments here describing what hardware and software it's running, and that's all cool and everything, but seriously: what is it good for other than it's value as a very expensive high-tech toy? Seriously, I may be missing an important point here, but I don't see where someone would want to pay so much money for what seems to amount to a very expensive hackers toy.

This is Slashdot. People who are will to pay so much money (or at least, wish they had the money free) for a "very expensive hackers toy" aren't really a rare commodity here.

The value of the humanoid robot

[Terwin]

Even in Sci-fi, the value of the humanoid robot is cost-savings.
If the brain of a general purpose robot is significantly more expensive than any body it will be put into, then you want that body to be able to handle as many tasks as possible, thus you make it to use all the tools that already exist for humans to use.

Until the brain is capable of handling all the tasks needed for operating as a semi-autonomous manual laborer, then a humanoid robot is just a nifty gadget with no real place in industry or other areas of production where we use specialized industrial robots today.

Robotnet

[Botia]

Now instead of worrying about being attacked by botnets, we'll have to worry about getting attacked from robotnets. Wonderful.

They should go virtual

[Dex5791]

Just as with architecture and automotive engineering task, they need to do robotics with virtual systems, using physics models instead of using hardware.

Re:Cheap for a humanoid?

[hypergreatthing]

.25$ a day?

Well i guess it depends where and what you mean by raise

Humanoid Robots?

[thenewguy001]

Boy I can't wait until i can get my own Marilyn Monroebot!

Re:Humanoid Robots?

[mjwx]

Boy I can't wait until i can get my own Marilyn Monroebot!

You can have her, I want the Jessica Albot.

Videos from RoboCup

[Falkkin]

The RoboCup 2008 world competition just finished in Suzhou, China -- new this year was a league where all the teams must use the Nao robots. The top two teams were from the University of Newcastle (Australia) and a combined Carnegie Mellon/Georgia Tech team. The final game was scoreless and decided by penalty kicks. Full results are here:

http://www.tzi.de/4legged/bin/view/Website/NaoResults2008

I wasn't at the competition but it's clear due to the scores that the league is still in its infancy, with scores being few and far between. As with any humanoid robot, falling over is a huge problem. I'm sure there will be some videos of the competition online once all the teams get home and have time to edit and upload them.

Here's a video of the robot walking, from the 2008 RoboCup US Open (where there was no competition but a couple small demos for the public.)

http://youtube.com/watch?v=N7USdkA0My8

must ..... resist.......

[JazzyJ]

....can't......lolcats....too....strong....

I can has robot NAO?! ^.^

*gigglefits*

Re:But the HOAP units

[e2d2]

I thought the same thing, relating it to patlabor. The main character's name is Nao also.

In the robot world this isn't really news so much as a press release. There are a lot of humanoid robots that one can purchase with similar feature sets. It's not going to change the landscape of robotics, but it is a cool tool/toy.

Obligatory Futurama quote

[Yvan256]

Don't Date Robots!

Re:Toy sized again...

[e2d2]

Why is it that when robots don't act like something out of a fantasy movie people are a little disappointed? Get a grip on reality man. There is obviously a huge disconnect between the reality of robotics and fantasy.

Think of it this way - you're wondering why you can't get the really slick aqua theme on your desktop when the people writing the actual software are still working on getting a working 3-color display!

Pris the humanoid?

[diegocn]

I clicked the link only because I mistaken Paris as Pris, the entrainment model...

Re:unemployment is rising, and they want robots

[vertinox]

If you have a job that can be replaced by a robot we can assume two things:

1. Its boring
2. Its going to be replaced by foreign labor anyways.

Telepresence

[dfcamara]

I rather use a robot like this for telepresence. Wish it have stereoscopic vision and not be too slow walking (if it is). AI only needed to assist moving around.

SONY has announced a followup...

[ZarathustraDK]

...with its Lithium-ion-battery-based Humanoid Suicide Bomber-bot.

The NAO isn't cheap

[Anonymous Coward]

The NAO isn't cheap-- that $15000 "is only the first installment". Teams wanting to use that unfortunate winner of the RoboCup tender have to pay almost as much again for the CLOSED-SOURCE SDK and training courses /per programmer/. There were fully free-software tender nominations that were only marginally more expensive (initially, and no hidden charges afterwards), and the predominately University-based researchers just wondered what the hell was going on for NAO to win the RoboCup contract.

As for the claim of $6000 each 'in mass production'... I can't see the separately-sourced high-quality motors that cost ~$500 each, making up 90% of the materials cost, dropping massively in price when they're already in mass production.

Re:Toy sized again...

[Khashishi]

Probably weight. A human-sized one would probably take a crane to move.

This is disgraceful

[oodaloop]

I read almost all the comments thus far and not a single overlord joke! I, for one, welcome new robot overlord jokes!