Sony Launches Third Generation AIBO Entertainment Robot

Futuristic Floppy-Eared Canine Offers More Functionality and Utilitarian Features

SAN DIEGO, Sept. 4 /PRNewswire/ — Entertainment Robot America (ERA), the division of Sony Electronics Inc. (SEL) responsible for the iconic series of autonomous AIBO(R) Entertainment Robots, announced today that it is delivering a highly-evolved, floppy-eared, third generation robotic dog.

Available in pearlescent white, the newly designed, futuristic ERS-7 AIBO model provides the greatest degree of autonomous behavior and functionality to date. It features a faster CPU, a higher resolution camera and twice as much memory as its predecessors.

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Sony licenses optical technology for robots – The Economic Times

LOS ANGELES: Robotics technology company Evolution Robotics Inc. on Tuesday said it had licensed its visual-recognition software to the unit of Sony Corp. that produces the Japanese conglomerate’s Aibo robots.

Privately held Evolution Robotics, based in Pasadena, California, said Sony’s Entertainment Robot Co. would use the ‘ER Vision’ software in future ‘entertainment robots.

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Australian IT – Robot pets take off in Asia (Sholto Macpherson, SEPTEMBER 02, 2003)

HUMANS have always wanted pets, but many baulk at the responsibility of walking and cleaning up after a dog once it has grown out of puppyhood.

Although robotic pets lack a heartbeat and a wet tongue, they have found a home in Asia, where most living pets are incompatible with high-rise lifestyles.

The standard artificial intelligence software in most robots runs through a programmed life cycle in which behaviour depends upon the treatment meted out by its owner.

If ignored, a robot will become lethargic and throw a ball around; it wants to play.

Every action and response is recorded in the onboard memory, which remembers the robot’s developing personality, moods and any tricks it has been taught.

Robot pets have come in various forms, from cats to fluffy mouse-like creatures, but the most popular form has remained the dog.

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MIT leaps to solution of walking-on-water mystery

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.—MIT researchers report in the Aug. 7 issue of Nature that they now understand how the insects known as water striders skim effortlessly across the surface of ponds and oceans.

In addition, the researchers created Robostrider, a mechanical water strider that uses the same fluid dynamics to move, although not as gracefully and quickly as its natural counterpart.

The hydrodynamics underlying the surface locomotion of these semiaquatic creatures (the family Gerridae and others) is poorly understood, said John W.M. Bush, associate professor of mathematics at MIT and author of the Nature study. In addition to water striders, he intends to apply his expertise in fluid dynamics to other surface swimmers.

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RoboSapien Announce

BEAM robotics is entering the humanoid race with its own 14-inch high, slightly-more-affordable walking machine. It’ll retail for about $80, has 67 built in functions, speaks international “caveman”, reconfigurable touch and sound reflexes, and features nested programming functions.

The “RoboSapien” (from WowWee Toys) uses resonant non-linear dynamics instead of the usual “Zero Force Point” Honda walking paradigm. Though the product is digital, it’s based on “nervous network” analog technologies featured in a variety of marketed science, education, and robotic products.

Main features are no computer required, easy for kids, advanced enough for adults, over 6 hours runtime from regular batteries, and it’s fast.

http://www.wowwee.com/

http://www.popsci.com/popsci/science/article/0,12543,473095,00.html PopSci Art.

http://www.androidworld.com/prod02.htm A nice picture at AndroidWorld

http://www.allnerdreview.com/TOYFAIR/2003/TF2003WOW.html A detailed review of the humanoid and other 2003 Wow Wee products.

Robotic ‘William’ and ‘Mary’ cruise campus

Both Mary and William are taken across campus as the robotic researchers teach the devices to recognize various objects.

WILLIAMSBURG – It might be a bit surprising the first time you encounter ‘William’ and ‘Mary,’ who have spent their summer months learning the lay of the land at the College of William and Mary.

Just about a year old each, both are little creatures about 2 feet wide and 26 inches long that spend most summer days navigating the campus and soaking up each peculiar sound.

To visitors, they may look like souped-up remote-control vehicles. To a group of researchers, students and professors at the college, they are part of cutting-edge robotic technology.

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A Learning Robot: Adam in Eden

More correctly, this is Adam (ADAptive Mobile robot) in Eden (EDucational ENvironment). Adam is a learning robot developed at Monash University in Australia. The Melbourne Herald Sun tells us more in ‘Current research gives Adam a charge.’

In an attempt to further the development of home robots, Associate Professor Andy Russell has put Adam (ADAptive Mobile robot) in his own garden named Eden (EDucational ENvironment) where the dish-shaped robot learns how to travel in the most energy-efficient way and feed himself from flowers when his charge dies.

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Herald Sun: Japan to market ‘robot suit’ [21aug03]

JAPANESE companies are preparing for the commercial launch of a “robot suit” that helps aged or physically disabled people walk, get up the stairs or seat themselves to relax without a chair.

Trading house Mitsui and Co. and some 30 other Tokyo firms plan to set up a joint venture in April or May next year to market the powered suit developed by Yoshiyuki Sankai, professor and engineer at Tsukuba University, officials said Thursday.

“This is neither a robot in machine factories nor a one for amusement like a pet robot. This is a brand-new proposal projecting a future image of relations between people and robots,” Sanaki said.

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Ananova – Talking robot will be special guest at state reception

A talking robot will be the special guest when the prime ministers of the Czech republic and Japan sit down to dinner at a state reception in Prague.

The robot – named Asimo – will join the two leaders in the city’s Hrzansky Palace, Czech Government.

Asimo is said to speak both Czech and Japanese, as well as being able to walk, shake hands and recognise voices.

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MORPH 3

MORPH 3, a 38-cm-tall humanoid robot, tries to stand after being laid on its back during an experiment at the Chiba Institute of Technology in Narashino, Chiba Prefecture.

ERATO Kitano Project

Takayuki Furuta, Masaharu Shimizu, Tetsuo Tawara, Yu Okumura, Masaki

Shimomura and Hiroaki Kitano1

1 ERATO Kitano Symbiotic Systems Project

Registration information:

Data about the team

Team name: ERATO Kitano Project

Team leader Name: Hiroaki Kitano

Affiliation: ERATO Kitano Symbiotic Systems Project

E-mail address: kitano@symbio.jst.go.jp

URL: http://www.symbio.jst.go.jp/

Names of other team members:

Takayuki Furuta, Masaharu Shimizu,

Tetsuo Tawara, Yu Okumura,

Masaki Shimomura

Data about the robot

Mechanical construction

Overall height: 38 cm

Overall weight: 2.4 kg