The Sony AIBO (pet robot dog) is in its third generation – Philip K. Dick raises an eyebrow. The latest walks to its charging cradle before the battery depletes. It retails for $1999 US and is available at select sources.
Up in evolution is the Sony QRIO, a diminutive bipedal robot with ball and joint sockets, akin to a person in both structure and function. It has been impressively showcased at a myriad of events since its 2003 incept date, demonstrating ball dribbling, a Japanese fan show, dance and exercise performances as well as numerous other displays of robot prowess.
Additional global businesses have responded to an impending market, with prototypes such as Toyota’s trumpet playing robot; Hitachi’s EMIEW, perched on wheels; and, perhaps the most advanced, Honda’s ASIMO. The ASIMO is similar to the rest – modeled on Homo sapiens – but it also has the ability to run, like the QRIO, except it is a full-size humanoid robot. Amusingly, one of the biggest problems is battery life.
General Motors is busy with a self-driving car slated for a 2008 release, with an array of built in sensors that tell the car what constituents are in the environment. The car responds accordingly, without driver intervention.
Hitachi, Toyota and the like feel their Robots will have important, specific uses, like caring for the elderly or working under unfavorable conditions. Read the rest of this entry »

