- Title: JAPAN: OMRON CORP UNVEILS IT'S LATEST ROBOT CREATION - NECORO - THE ROBOT CAT
- Date: 16th October 2001
- Summary: SCU SIGN OF NECORO SMV NECORO ROBOT CATS ON DESK WIDE OF PRESS CONFERENCE SCU (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) HIDEKI MASUDA, OMRON EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT HIDEKI MASUDA SAYING: "We wanted to respond to the people's needs by using new technology and new idea rather than simply making a robot."
- Embargoed: 31st October 2001 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: TOKYO, JAPAN
- Country: Japan
- Topics: Quirky,Technology,Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
- Reuters ID: LVABN8DDL7S7R8IOK7T0GZB5KWBE
- Story Text: The latest robot has been unveiled in Japan - a cat! And the manufacturers say it makes the "purrfect" pet.
Japan's Omron Corp has unveiled its latest invention, a robotic cat named NeCoRo, one of the very "real"
virtual pets that have come into the market in recent times.
Like most household cats, it doesn't respond to commands or perform tricks. Nor can it walk, but Omron officials said it does what is most important: purring contentedly when stroked, and otherwise giving cuddly emotional feedback to its owner with feline sounds and movements.
"We wanted to respond to the people's needs by using new technology and new ideas rather than simply making a robot,"
said Hideki Masuda, Omron executive vice president of Omron Corp.
Only 5,000 of the acrylic-furred felines will be up for sale, and only in Japan, with a retail list price of 185,000 yen (US$1,530) each.
That compares with 98,000 yen (US$811) for the latest version of Sony Corp's Aibo pets, which can recognise 75 simple words, take photos and mimic human intonation.
When it debuted in 1999, a limited offer of 3,000 Aibos sold out over the Internet in Japan in less than 20 minutes, commanding 250,000 yen (US$2,069) a piece.
The robot pet has tactile sensors behind and beneath its ears and on its back, where cats are particularly sensitive, as well as audio and visual sensors enabling it to recognise loud noises, sudden movements or the calling of its name.
Its "vocabulary" includes 48 different cat noises. It can also perk up its ears, squint its eyes, tilt its head or stretch its legs to express such feelings as surprise or fatigue.
NeCoRo's most difficult achievement was the fake-fur skin that expands and contracts with its various body movements and facial expressions, according to the Omron official.
And like Bandai Co Ltd's hit Tamagotchi -- a small, egg-shaped toy displaying a virtual bird that requires virtual care and feeding -- NeCoRo will develop personality traits based on how it is treated by its owner.
Omron, known for sensor technology used in products from factory tools to automatic tellers, also hoped the artificial intelligence and other technologies tested in NeCoRo would find applications in more practical items, such as user-friendly vending machines for train tickets.
Omron executives also acknowledged that NeCoRo had room for improvement, although they disclosed no concrete plans for future generations. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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