Wacky poll! Which do you like better....
Flintstones or Jetsons?
This came up because this article was e-mailed to me and I thought of the Jetson's right away...
I always liked the Flintstones better!![]()
TOKYO (Reuters) - She may be a bit odd looking,
what with a bright yellow face, silver arms and a
positioning sensor on her head, but this tiny gal's
got charm -- even if it is chip-induced.
Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., say their
new Internet-linked robot 'Wakamaru,' unveiled
Thursday, has a friendly personality that could
make her a much-loved member of the family.
'We have tried to create a robot you can have a
relationship with, just like a human,' said technical
team leader Ken Onishi, who said that while none
of her individual features are revolutionary, putting
them together in one cute package was a
mammoth task.
Able to recognize up to 10 people and call them by
name, the 100 cm (40 inch) tall Wakamaru will
approach and greet family members in a gentle,
feminine voice when they arrive home and offer to
pass on telephone messages or read out any e-
mails that may have arrived.
In the morning, she'll glide to your bedside to wake
you up with the news headlines and weather
forecast, remind you of your appointments for the
day and may even invite you to join her in some
light exercise.
And if security at home is a worry, give her a call
on your mobile phone when you're out and check
the situation through a camera mounted on her
forehead.
But this kind of companionship doesn't come
cheap.
A limited edition of 100 robots goes on sale in
Tokyo on Friday, at a cost of 1.575 million yen,
with a monthly maintenance charge of around
10,000 yen.
This came up because this article was e-mailed to me and I thought of the Jetson's right away...
I always liked the Flintstones better!
TOKYO (Reuters) - She may be a bit odd looking,
what with a bright yellow face, silver arms and a
positioning sensor on her head, but this tiny gal's
got charm -- even if it is chip-induced.
Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., say their
new Internet-linked robot 'Wakamaru,' unveiled
Thursday, has a friendly personality that could
make her a much-loved member of the family.
'We have tried to create a robot you can have a
relationship with, just like a human,' said technical
team leader Ken Onishi, who said that while none
of her individual features are revolutionary, putting
them together in one cute package was a
mammoth task.
Able to recognize up to 10 people and call them by
name, the 100 cm (40 inch) tall Wakamaru will
approach and greet family members in a gentle,
feminine voice when they arrive home and offer to
pass on telephone messages or read out any e-
mails that may have arrived.
In the morning, she'll glide to your bedside to wake
you up with the news headlines and weather
forecast, remind you of your appointments for the
day and may even invite you to join her in some
light exercise.
And if security at home is a worry, give her a call
on your mobile phone when you're out and check
the situation through a camera mounted on her
forehead.
But this kind of companionship doesn't come
cheap.
A limited edition of 100 robots goes on sale in
Tokyo on Friday, at a cost of 1.575 million yen,
with a monthly maintenance charge of around
10,000 yen.
