Hitachi Robot Goes Nuts

[DJDojo]

http://www6.comcast.net/news/articles/g ... ot.Mishap/

Hmm...something like this could be translated into a fembot story...

[xodar]

Perhaps a fembot runs some errands and goes to the wrong house when done, or mistakes someone else for her owner (someone who doesn't object). Maybe she is at a store by herself and some sexual circuit is activated in error.

[droidlvr]

Perhaps a fembot runs some errands and goes to the wrong house when done, or mistakes someone else for her owner (someone who doesn't object). Maybe she is at a store by herself and some sexual circuit is activated in error.

Yeah,let's keep them ideas rollin'.

[xodar]

Maybe some signals could interfere with her behavior unexpectedly.

I remember reading in a newspaper about one of those realistic robots like Disney has, about 1970, that that happened to. It was an Abraham Lincoln robot on a stage and the audience was gathered in a small auditorium to hear it stand up and give short bits of Lincoln's most famous speeches.
The robot stood up but began jerking and twitching and mixing psychedelic rock lyrics with the speeches.
Unknown to the people who owned the exhibit they had set it up where it received signals directly from a nearby radio station.

I suppose by now things like that aren't too likely and will be less so in the future -- but who knows?

Could the fembot accidentally receive instructions to robots on a nearby military base that are going through practice maneuvers?
Or police communications? Exchanges between football players with transmitters in their helmets?

Maybe she'd have a built in program in case she got lost causing her to home in on some signal and go to where it's transmitted -- a kind of bot pound -- that would notify the owner. This could get screwed up, causing her to launch herself toward electronics stores, microwave ovens signalling the food is done, people using cell phones, or the like.

[rs5420]

http://www6.comcast.net/news/articles/g ... ot.Mishap/

Hmm...something like this could be translated into a fembot story...

Your wish is my command.

Los Angeles, CA –

Pramang's new human-like robot walked around and waved for reporters Wednesday, only to crash into a desk and demonstrate the challenge of turning automatons into everyday companions.

The pretty female secretary robot, designed to run common tasks in offices, wasn't prepared for the jam of lunch-break wireless network traffic at the company's research center. Unable to communicate with her control array, she walked her way strait into the office furniture as reporters gasped.

Still, the 5.8 feet tall, 129-pound EMY 2 was able to show a few of her possibilities, she answered few basic questions, answered a call on a cellular phone, took notes with a tablet PC, and she even brushed her hair and redone her lipstick.

One feature _ wireless control _ was at the heart of Wednesday's mishap.

While showing off its ability to understand human speech, a spectator asked where someone was sitting. She responded with a very realistic female voice: "I will take you there. Follow me."

Seconds later, when she tried to make her way between two desks, she smashed a knee in one of them and lost her balance. Security staff reached out just in time to catch the female robot by both arms before she toppled over.

Reporters had to wait for an hour until after the lunch break to watch the robot repeat the demonstration _ this time smoothly making her way between the desks.

Developers said the robot had performed fine on test runs but acknowledged kinks had to be worked out, she's still a prototype. Besides the collision, she also suddenly stood motionless at one point, standing like she was paused or something.

"We are studying what hurdles need to be overcome to make better human-like robots, she's based on a new approach that we are developing" said Pramang researcher John Teladau. "One characteristic we feel we need to ensure for robots is safety, let's never forget what happened at Westworld..."

Robots are now mostly used as industrial machinery and toys. Pramang's robot is the latest attempt by American companies to develop one that can be a companion in everyday life.

In 2005, Pramang showed today's robot predecessor, the EMY, another human-like machine, primarily targeting industrial production plants and fast food chains.

The improved EMY 2 demonstrated Wednesday has shed some pounds to be closer to a normal weight if she has to pass for human. She's also less strong to be safer around people, and her lighter weight makes it easy to carry her around when she's deactivated. She can also replace a depleted battery pack by a fresh one all by herself now.

EMY 2 robot also features 3 precision gyrosensors to maintain her balance, lithium ion batteries for 4 hours worth of power before swapping it, and a laser radar to map out its surroundings in her computer brain, according to Pramang. She can also dodge human-size obstacles in her way like she's able to cope with speech recognition like no robots before her, incredibly fast, the L.A.-based company said.

Pramang declined to say when the robot will be ready for commercial use. It also refused to say how much the robot cost or how much it spent on its research.

America is among the world's leaders in robotics, and the government is pushing major companies like Pramang to develop robots for household and work field uses.

Honda Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. have also developed human-like robots that reporters have seen working as guides at the Japanese automakers' facilities. Other electronics makers such as NEC Corp. and Fujitsu have shown robots, but Sony Corp. has discontinued the Aibo dog-shaped entertainment robot.

[DJDojo]

SWEETNESS!! I'll keep on the lookout for more robot news, alright? ^_^