Sony's New Bi-Pedal Robot

TestBoy writes "Sony is releasing a new bipedal robot for home use. It has a 60,000 word vocabulary and can even sing songs." I am especially amused by the photograph of synchronized dancing robots, and the fact that the new bot will cost as much as a luxury car! But it has some impressive stuff like facial recognition

lalala

[Vodak]

See, now if Sony can make a Playstation that sings to you when your playing that'd be awsome =]

60,000 work vocabulary

[wiredog]

Hmmmm. So. It can do 6E4 different jobs? But can it be voice controlled? That's what I want, a robot with a 60,000 word vocabulary.

I'm going to buy one, and then...

[billmaly]

Name it Hal. Then I'll start referring to my house as my pod. Then I'll come home everynight, and say "Open the pod bay door Hal!". Then I'll giggle insanely! It'll never ever stop being funny! :)

Singing and Dancing?

[ackthpt]

These are not the droids I'm looking for.

Advanced Realdoll

[meff]

I wonder when they will merge robotic technology with the Realdoll line. Bring your dreams only made in movies to life! Or, possibly, too much life if the bitch takes over and electrocutes you ;)

Finaly!

[ShaniaTwain]

Now I can re-enact this scene [popealien.com]

I've always wanted a pet robot, now I can feel like it's really the future.

Battle Bot...

[DeltaBlaster]

Hmm.. how long will it take someone to mod one with a chainsaw and a flame thrower and use it as a battle bot? :)

Re:I'm going to buy one, and then...

[meff]

And you'll get the nearly-2-foot robot to open your door HOW?

;)

Imagine the implications of this..

[Ligur]

for the pr0n industry! Dress it in high-heels (it could handle uneven sufaces, right?) and a corset and you have the gadget-lovers dream partner!

Cool

[crumbz]

Now it can walk my AIBO at 6:00 in the morning.

Re:lalala

[ackthpt]

Yeah, "lalala", you'll be griping like Kasparov [ibm.com] when it beats you at games on your Playstation 2 and then regales you with a victory dance, "In YO face, In YO face! Recognize me!" ;)

It's your responsibility

[mobydobius]

and even sing once programmed with music and lyrics

It's your responsibility to make sure your robot violates no copyright laws when singing.

Heh, just imagine at next years' Cebit...

[Salsaman]

MS employee: excuse me Mr Sony exhibitor, you aren't allowed to let customers play on your Playstations, you will have to pack 'em all up and take them away !

Sony employee: ah Mr Microsoft exhibitor, allow me to introduce our latest model bipedal *hunter-killer* robot, fresh from our development labs...

Robot: is there a problem here ?

MS employee: erm, on second thoughts, just carry on as you were...

Music industry beware

[Fraz]

How long will it be before we have "bot bands" taking on the charts? Move over NSYNC bring on the "Backstreet Bots".

Vocabulary

[wowbagger]

It may have a 60000 word vocabulary, but 30000 of the words are "beedy-beedy-beedy" [imdb.com]

And the optional computer to translate for you is another $60k.

they used what??

[flumps]

"For that, the robot has sensors on the bottom of its feet to help it walk on uneven surfaces such as carpeting and has been programmed to tumble without falling apart and then get up on its own, Doi said."
er, scuse me mr doi, but how do you program it not to fall apart when it falls over?
...
if(robot->sensor.overload && robot->falling)
{
robot->say("danger, danger, get the hell out my way!");
robot->donotfallapart = true;
}
...

hmm
:)

What's it good for?

[SpinyNorman]

For the price of a luixury car IMO it better have "3 functioning inputs".

Sony meets RealDoll?

Re:60k words?

[cgenman]

60k words aren't that many for a robot living in Japan. 60k words are about as much vocabulary as you would need to say "I want to get some ice cream" in japanese, though saying "very much hello person who is above me in the social stature and introduced by a lower co-worker" takes about two.

When these things can read Kanji, then I'll be impressed.

Re:Can it sing "Daisy?"

[JimPooley]

No no no! That's for deranged computers!

Robots have to sing this...

Share and enjoy
Share and Enjoy, Share and Enjoy,
Journey through life with a plastic boy
Or girl by your side, let your pal be your guide,
And when it breaks down or starts to annoy,
Or grinds when it moves and gives you no joy
Cos it's eaten your hat or had sex with your cat,
Bled oil on your floor or ripped off your door,
And you get to the point you can't stand any more,
Bring it to us, we won't give a fig. We'll tell you
Go stick your head in a pig.

Re:Like all Sony products...

[Anonymous Coward]

>I wonder where they put the Memory Stick slot.

Probably where the sun doesnt shine :-)

Re:It's your responsibility

[Tackhead]

> Unless they get them smart enough to be declared sentient, then he can go to jail instead of you. That would be fun, filling up the countrys prisons and courts with singing robots. They'd beg congress to repeal the DMCA then.

Huh? What the fuck do you think the courts and Congress are full of today, if not singing robots?

(Oh, wait, the singing robots have to be sentient first. Guess that rules out Congress and the courts.)

Re:they used what??

[grondak]

Geez. Try this:
....
try {
this->Surface()->walk();
}
catch (fallingException) {
this->say("Hey, I'm not going to fall!");
}
....

Marvin

[Jaycatt]

I'll name mine Marvin, and keep it's batteries low, so it can always feel depressed.