all you need to know about robots ( bots, robo sapiens, humanoid robots, robotic puppies ): history, research, news ..................................................

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- march 2001 -
robots


until today only few robots are available because the
high development and construction costs have to be absorbed
through mass production, which is justified only for toys,
weapons and industrial systems.
now the world has found out that the market potential
on domestic and service robots is far bigger than on industrial
robots.
the leaders-companies such as matsushita electric industrial,
nec, sony, toyota, honda and omron are investing tens of
millions of euros annually in the development of personal robots.

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the world has already seen
the 'aibo'and people are adopting sony's cute robotic puppies
as more convenient alternatives for travelers.
aibo is being bought as a substitute pet, not just a collectors items
or a sophisticated grown-up toy.
for example, there are reports of travelling businessmen
buying 'aibos' as portable pets. they are easy to pack,
provide companionship at the hotel, and can break the
ice during business meetings.
the majority of buyers are still male, with women buying just
25 percent of the 47,000 new-model 'aibos' sold.
scientists are now even studying the robots to see if they offer
some of the therapeutic benefits of animal ownership.
alan beck, director of the center for the human-animal bond at
purdue university, who is famous for studies that showed pets
have health benefits like lowering blood pressure,
has just been awarded a national science foundation grant to
study 'aibos' in elementary schools and elder care institutions.
beck will investigate whether children can discriminate between
robots and real animals, and see if 'aibos' have therapeutic
value in retirement homes.
the second-generation model of the popular 'aibo' pet robot was
launched in february 2001, but unlike its predecessor,
it won't pee on the rug (in an attempt to make the plastic pet less
dog-like, sony removed its bark and leg-cocking action, which
was accompanied by the sound of running water).
that is the brave, if vague, new world envisioned by robot enthusiasts,
who see in 'aibo's paw prints the future of the personal robot industry.
http://www.aibo.com

---
robot toys
stored energy, autonomous movement, and even animal communication
are replicated in toys using batteries, motors and computer chips.
high-tech products are certainly one of the hottest categories
in the toy marketplace, companies showing off tech toys include texas
instruments, entertainment robot, america/sony electronics, lego systems
and intel. among many robot products as fischertechnik's new batch of
robot-building kits 'bionic robots', which the company added to its line of
pneumatic, industry and mobile robots. the kit lets you build two-, four-
and six-legged animals.
http://mindstorms.lego.com
http://www.fischertechnik.de


---
now it seems that the future has new symbols
---
'sdr'
sony dream robot: a 50 cm tall acrobat, which can jump,
kick mini soccer balls and dance - keep its balance and stand up
after falling down.
unfortunately the robot is fed cues over a wireless computer network .
tatsuzo ishida, sony corp.'s ace robotics engeneer,
together with comrade-in-arms- yoshihiro kuroki,
proposes that sony engeneer a whole new species of
humanoid entertainment bots, along the lines of C-3PO,
the golden chatterbox in star wars.
the new business development chief, shingo tamura,
turns out to be a robot maniac too.
all three studied humanoids at waseda university's
robotics lab in tokyo.

---
'asimo'
one of the first so called robo sapiens on the market will be
honda's 'asimo': a 1,20 meter tall android that resembles
a child astronaut. 'asimo' has sensors attached to the robot's feet
to help locate the edge of stair steps and maintain its center of gravity.
the hitch is, that he is currently blind and dumb -
and must be remotely controlled.

/ what's new
/ robo sapiens and their history
/ research and competitions


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logo of robodex,
a new expo for personal robots
in yokohama (november 2000)





aibo, sony






fischer technik -mobile robots- kit









'sdr' (sony dream robot)









asimo, honda