JAPAN: TOKYO TOY SHOW OPENS IN JAPAN THIS WEEK WITH ROBOT PETS OF ALL SHAPES AND SIZES
Record ID:
344710
JAPAN: TOKYO TOY SHOW OPENS IN JAPAN THIS WEEK WITH ROBOT PETS OF ALL SHAPES AND SIZES
- Title: JAPAN: TOKYO TOY SHOW OPENS IN JAPAN THIS WEEK WITH ROBOT PETS OF ALL SHAPES AND SIZES
- Date: 16th March 2000
- Summary: TOKYO, JAPAN (MARCH 16, 2000) (REUTERS) 1. VARIOUS OF CAT-ROBOTS MOVING AROUND (2 SHOTS) 0.17 2. CU: SCU EQUIPMENT TO LET CAT-ROBOT KNOW WHERE ITS OWNER IS 0.20 3. SV: ROBOT TURNING AROUND 0.27 4. MV: YOSHINORI HAGA, ASSISTANT GENERAL MANAGER OF NEW PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT AT BANDAI CO., LTD PROGRAMMING IN COMPUTER, ZOOM INTO CAT-LIKE ROBOT AND INTERFACE 0.35 5. SV: (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) HAGA SAYING "We made our best efforts on how we can have robots that perform interesting moves, but at a lower cost. The difference with other makers' robots are that BN-1 has better capability to play with its owner in various ways and the price is attractive." 0.55 6. SLV: CAT-LIKE ROBOT RAISING ITS ARM 1.02 7. LV: BANDAI'S BOOTH AT TOKYO TOY SHOW 1.06 8. SLV: BANDAI'S RABBIT-LIKE ROBOT NAMED "PATATA" 1.13 9. SV: PEOPLE WATCHING 1.16 10. LV: BOOTH FOR "T-DOG 2000" 1.21 11. VARIOUS KINDS OF ROBOTS SHAPED LIKE DOGS 1.25 12. WIDE: CROWDS AT TOKYO TOY SHOW 1.29 13. SLV: TAKARA'S BOOTH 1.34 14. SLV: JELLYFISH SHAPED ROBOT SWIMMING IN WATER 1.42 15. SLV: SHRIMP-SHAPED ROBOT AND CRAB-SHAPED ROBOT SWIMMING IN WATER 1.49 16. CU: MAN WATCHING SHRIMP SHAPED ROBOT 1.54 17. SLV: FISH-SHAPED ROBOT 1.59 18. WIDE/MV: VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WATCHING JELLYFISH-SHAPED ROBOT SWIMMING IN WATER TANK (2 SHOTS) 2.20 19. SLV: TOMY'S WALKING ROBO-06 (3 SHOTS) 2.36 20. SLV: PEOPLE WATCHING 2.39 21. SLV: IWAYA'S STUFFED ROBOTS OF DOG, GIRAFFE AND ELEPHANT (3 SHOTS) 2.57 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 31st March 2000 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: TOKYO, JAPAN
- Country: Japan
- Reuters ID: LVA3HGHUQJP7WMBFQ825C9YT4NSF
- Story Text: The Tokyo Toy Show opened in Japan this week with
robot pets of all shapes and sizes taking centre stage.
Who needs a real pet when robots are just as good,
That's the question posed by the Tokyo Toy fair this
week which showcased a whole range of increasingly
sophisticated robot toys.
Leading Japanese toy manufacturer Bandai Co Ltd unveiled
a cat-like robot that responds when stroked and changes its
eyes to show emotion.
The "cat" doesn't come cheap at a price 475 U.S.
dollars, but that's considerably cheaper than Sony's 2,000
U.S.dollars robot dog which sparked the animal-robot trend.
The robot cat, equipped with artificial intelligence and
eight different sensors, can jump over obstacles, turn head
over heels and play dead.
The expression in its eyes, which are made of
light-emitting diode (LED) displays, changes in 50 ways to
show feelings like joy, anger and sadness.
The product also has Internet connectivity, allowing new
data to be downloaded from Bandai's homepage to change the
pet's character or to add different functions.
"Compared with other makers' robots, the BN-1 (the
cat-like robot) has a better capability to play with its owner
in various ways and it offers more attractive pricing," said
Haga.
Other manufacturers are also cashing-in on the pet robot
frenzy - with new models coming in the shape of rabbits,
space-age dogs and now even swimming robots.
Toy-maker Takara this week unveiled is ethereal
Aquaroids - a range of robot sea creatures which swim
gracefully through water.
The Aquaroid will hit the shelves in the autumn at a
price of 142 U.S.dollars and is aimed not at children, but at
the 30-somethings.
The Aquaroid, which is powered by solar batteries, will
be available in the shape of one of four marine creatures,
fish, jellyfish, shrimp or crab.
Each one mimics the movements of real sea creatures.The
fish swims around, the jellyfish floats near the surface, the
shrimp kicks and jumps on the bottom of the tank, and the crab
lurks at the bottom.
They also automatically change direction when they run
into a tank wall.
About 190 manufacturers from Japan and overseas are
taking part in the Tokyo Toy Show, which runs until Sunday
(March 19).The event is set to attract at least 60,000
visitors - and most of them can expect to be enthralled by the
vast range of virtual pets.
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