Japan Today Japan News – Picture Of The Day – Humanoid robot “Posy”
Tuesday, March 26, 2002 at 09:30 JST
KYODO NEWS
Sanyo unveils security robots
Mar. 25 OSAKA, Japan
Japan’s Sanyo creates robot guard-dog 25 March 2002 1903 hrs (SST) 1103 hrs (GMT)
Japanese consumer electronics maker Sanyo Electric has created a robot guard-dog that can challenge burglars and take pictures of them with a camera fitted in its nose.
It has been refered to as a utility robot.
“Our robot is connected to a third-generation mobile phone. You can see your house on your mobile phone screen via the robot and ensure home safety,” said a Sanyo spokesman.
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Robot Guard Dog Unveiled
Last Updated: 12:38 UK, Tuesday March 26, 2002
A prototype of a robot guard dog, which could revolutionise security in homes or offices, has been unveiled in Japan.
The four-legged robot can roam through buildings under the command of a security control centre or homewowner, to check the building is secure.
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Prototype “SDR-4X” : Main Specifications
CPU: 64 bit RISC processor (x2)
Main Recording Device: 64MB DRAM (x2)
Operating System: Aperios (Sony’s original real time OS)
Robot Control Architecture: OPEN-R
Control Program Supplying media: 16MB Memory Stick
Joint Degrees of FreedomNeck: 4 degrees of freedom, Body: 2 degrees of freedom, Arms: 5 degrees of freedom (x2), Legs: 6 degrees of freedom (x2); total 28 degrees of freedom 5 fingers on each hand
Internal SensorsDistance DetectionInfrared Distance Sensor: head x1, hands x2, total 3
Acceleration DetectionTrunk: X, Y, Z/3 axes, Legs: X, Y/2 axes
Angular Rate DetectionTrunk: X, Y, Z/3 axes
Foot Sole Sensor: Power Sensor (each leg: 4 x 2 = total 8)
Thermo Sensor: External (x4), Internal (x2)
Touch Sensor: HeadPressure Sensitive Rubber
Handle: Sheet Switch
Hands: Sheet Switch X2
Shoulders: Tact Switch X2
Image Input: 110,000 pixels 1/5 inch CCD color camera (x2)
Sound Input: Microphone (x7)
Sound Output: Speaker
Input/Output: PC Card Slot (Type II) (x1)
Memory Stick Slot (x1)
DisplayEye LED: 4096 color (RGB 16 gradation combination)
Ear LED: 1 color 16 gradation
Power LED: 2 colors (3 colors in simultaneous lighting) Performance/Charging Condition Display
Walking Speed: Approximately 6m/minute max (irregular surface)Pace: 10cm, Walking Cycle: 1.0 second/step
Approximately 20m/minute max (flat, smooth surface)Pace: 6.5cm, Walking Cycle: 0.20 second/step
Irregular Surface Walking Ability: Irregularity degree: 10mm irregular surface on non-slip condition
Tilt degree: Up to approx. 10 degrees tilted surface on non-slip condition
Weight: Approximately 6.5Kg with battery and memory
Dimensions (height x width x depth): Approximately 580 x 260 x 190mm
Sony Global | Press Release Sony Develops Small Biped Entertainment Robot
With Ability to Adopt Its Movement to a Variety of Situations and Offering Rich Communication.
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Ananova – Sony unveils singing, dancing robot
© AFX News
Story filed: 11:19 Tuesday 19th March 2002
Sony Corp said it has developed a robot which walks, sings and dances, and can recognise images and sounds.
SDR-4X is a 60 centimeter-high entertainment robot with arms, legs and a head. It is still in its development stages but can already communicate with people using special sensors, Sony said.
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Cameras built into the robot’s head enable it to recognise people, and it can also understand some speech.
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Sony hopes to market the SDR-4X in Japan, but has yet to set a launch date.
Sony robot sings, dances and isn’t cheap
Sony’s SDR-4X can remember people’s faces and even dance disco, but it’s an expensive toy — costing as much as a luxury car.
TOKYO, Japan (AP) — The newest Sony Corp. family member has a photographic memory, an extensive vocabulary and a jukebox-like knowledge of music.
He also comes with a clunky, sci-fi name and a price tag resembling that of a luxury car.
The silver, round-eyed “SDR-4X” humanoid robot was unveiled Tuesday and will go on sale later this year. Sony Corp. would not say much more about its plans for the 23-inch tall robot.
“This robot was designed to live with people in homes,” said Toshitada Doi, Sony executive vice president.
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The SDR-4X is an upgraded version of a humanoid robot shown about a year ago. It has two cameras to see things better, including being able to tell the difference between the edge of a table and the patterns on the floor. That has been a challenge for another Sony product, the puppy-shaped robot Aibo, which has only one camera.
The new robot will be considerably more expensive than Aibo, which already has sold more than 100,000 units worldwide. The latest Aibo model sells for $1,400 in Japan and $1,500 in the United States.
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Sony, Honda animated on robots’ role – Tech News – CNET.com
By Reuters
March 19, 2002, 4:55 AM PT
It’s a question anyone might ask about a potential live-in partner. Should your household robot be cool? Or practical?
For consumer electronics giant Sony, which on Tuesday unveiled the sleek and diminutive SDR-4X that can sing in vibrato and dance with fluid or funky motions, robots ought to be entertaining. But for automaker Honda Motor, which showed off the latest version of its Asimo robot at a Tuesday luncheon with foreign reporters, such machines should one day perform useful tasks for their human masters.
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