The Hong Kong company WowWee plans to release several models of service robots every year.
Eran Arbel, ISF
The Hong Kong company 'WowWee' has decided to enter a new field that is almost completely devoid of competition. Instead of being a monopoly and dominating consumers with inferior and limited products, the robotics company plans to release several models (not just one) every year.
The company that brought us the 'Robospian', which has already sold over 2 million units, the 'Roboft', the 'Roboraptor' and recently also the 'Robospian 2' has decided to take private amusement robots to a new level.
The company recently revealed their 2006 line-up which will include three new robots: the 'Robospian RS2 Media' will include a USB connection, an LCD display on the chest, and perhaps the most important feature, an SD card slot. Users will be able to record the robot's movements along with their voice, and later run detailed movement and action plans. The LCD screen will display what the robot sees through the camera in its head and will be able to project movies recorded on a memory card.
The Robo-Reptile will be an upgrade to the Roboraptor. He was about half the size of his predecessor and had a higher mobility. He won't come with a remote control unless his own toy to chase. He is able to spin around himself, move quickly from place to place and even jump.
The 'Private Robot' or abbreviated 'Pi-Bot' will contain Segway's balance technology. He will have an LCD screen instead of a face, on which he will display a face with changing emotions that he will use to show his state whether he is happy about his action or sad about having fallen and now needs to get up. The 'Happy-Bot' will be able to hold things on its back, such as a drinking bottle, and maintain balance.
A Japanese exoskeleton will take a disabled person to the top of a mountain
HAL-5 is not the first father of the mythical computer from 2001 but an acronym for Hybrid Assistive Leg, a robotic exoskeleton that is worn on the user's body and with the help of a power unit, several motors and dozens of sensors, increases the user's normal strength.
In a journey planned for the summer of this year, the mountaineer Ken Nguchi will carry Seiji Ushida with him to the edge of Mount Breithorn in Switzerland. The exoskeleton that allows the wearer to easily lift another 80 kilograms of weight is what will make this journey possible.
Author Fritz Leiber already presented similar aids in his 1968 book, "A Ghost Haunting Texas," for people raised in microgravity to function in Earth conditions.
Also, the special power suits worn by the marines in "Space Warriors" were used by them to hold a large arsenal of weapons along with the ability to move at high speed and jump to a superhuman height.
