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Flower Robots For Your Home

Posted by timothy on from the pretty-high-on-maslow's-hierarchy dept.

Roland Piquepaille writes "Flower robots are not new, and some have already been developed in the US. Now, South Korean researchers have created a robotic plant which acts like real ones. This robot has humidifying, oxygen-producing, aroma-emitting, and kinetic functions. It is about 1.30 meters tall and 40 centimeters in diameter. The robotic plant can interact with people when they approach, and it can 'dance' when music is played. The researchers don't say when a commercial version of their flowers will come to the market. They also don't mention a retail price."

17 of 119 comments (clear)

  1. flower robot...hello fish by Monkey-some · · Score: 4, Funny

    I suspect that it's a new way to sell us the kind of humidifier/sensitizers that you just plug.

    On another hand that robotic flower who interacts and dance with people would just fit perfectly fine with my cluster of singing basses who are pinned on the wall "taake me to the river"...

    1. Re:flower robot...hello fish by ILuvRamen · · Score: 3, Funny

      That might be true under other circumstances but you forget what time of year it is. With people hating voting robo-calls so much, they've developed these plants instead. They sneak into your home under the guide of being cute and fun and sort of gimmicky but when you're sitting there reading slashdot, you hear a really quiet "vote for _____" and then you look around and think "who the hell just said that?" and IT WAS THE PLANT!

      --
      Google's Super Secret Search Algorithm: SELECT @search_results FROM internet WHERE @search_results = 'good'
  2. Feed Me! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    " The robotic plant can interact with people when they approach, and it can 'dance' when music is played. "

    Little shop of Horrors

  3. That's all well and good by Centurix · · Score: 5, Funny

    But they forget to mention that they can walk by themselves and can spit poison that can blind a person.

    --
    Task Mangler
  4. What is it with Asians and robots? by ah81 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Seriously, is there anything they don't want to turn into a robot?

  5. unAutotrophs by imatiach · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Great, so now instead of planting flowers and trees that will form Glucose, give us Oxygen, supply all higher lifeforms and save the world every household will have a mechanical machine that will use up precious energy and resources. Sign me up!

    1. Re:unAutotrophs by g-san · · Score: 3, Funny

      > Maybe this robot will inspire people to go the extra step and get a real one...

      Kinda like how the Sims helped me figure out where all the flies were coming from.

  6. Its obvious! by BlackSabbath · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Why have a living, breathing flower in a pot when you can have a pretend one that wastes so much more energy? Who wouldn't want that?

  7. Tentacle stems by millwall · · Score: 4, Funny

    With such thick stems it looks like robot is more inspired by anime tentacle rape than actual organic flowers!

  8. Re:The 80's called by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Lies! You can KEEP them.

    Sincerely,
    The '80s

  9. why? by nicklott · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Looks like a solution in need of a problem to me. Real plants fulfil their functions just fine. And they look better.

  10. Next Step! by imatiach · · Score: 4, Funny

    Pet robot rock! It can... uh...

  11. Robot Rock by El_Muerte_TDS · · Score: 4, Funny

    It behaves just like a real rock. It's really low on maintenance, is has solar cells to recharge itself, but it can last for months on a single charge. It is perfect for a hi-tech Japanese rock garden.

    ps, I already filed the patent.

  12. It's like "Catch" in the Wii by NoNeeeed · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Seriously, someone has actually created a game of catch on the Wii.

    He said it was because...

    but it's different for kids nowadays, because playgrounds and such places doesn't allow ball throwing any more.

    Simulated catch, robot dogs, and now robot plants.

    At the risk of sounding all "get of my lawn", this kind of thing is pretty depressing.

    --
    Paul Leader
  13. Re:oblig by $RANDOMLUSER · · Score: 3, Funny

    I, for one, welcome our new humidifying, oxygen-producing, aroma-emitting, and kinetic functioning flower robot overlords!

    Oh, come on! You're not even trying!
    How about:

    Why don't people take time to smell their new robotic overlords?

    --
    No folly is more costly than the folly of intolerant idealism. - Winston Churchill
  14. Re:First post? by g-san · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Don't you get it yet? The shopping season is all about taxes. You file your income taxes by april so the govt can count/collect it all by summer, then in winter they make up a holiday that convinces everyone to spend spend spend so they can collect tax revenues. It might be reversed for you Aussies, when do you pay taxes?

    And did you notice that every store has a frickin holiday section now, it just goes xmas to valentines to easter to mothers day to dads and grads to cheap chinese summer toys to Halloween to thanksgiving and repeat.

    And your last comment is the icing on the cake, the star on the xmas tree, the big box under the tree. You are actually feeling guilty for talking that way! You assume that everyone will negatively paint you a "Scrooge" if you don't participate in the scam. That's why it's such a great scam. And that is why even though people can't afford it and they really don't need it, they BUY it anyways, and the cycle continues.

    I hate it, but I appreciate it for its elegance.

  15. Hmmm... by vegiVamp · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Do the robotic flowers absorb more CO2 and emit more oxygen than what is required to produce, power, and when they break down, recycle them ?

    Didn't think so. I'll take real flowers, kthxbye.

    --
    What a depressingly stupid machine.