JAPAN: SCIENTIFIC ROBOT "PINO" IS BEING DEVELOPED FOR COMMERICAL SALES AFTER APPEARING IN POP VIDEO WITH JAPANESE SINGER HIKARU UTADA

Record ID: 860980

  • Title: JAPAN: SCIENTIFIC ROBOT "PINO" IS BEING DEVELOPED FOR COMMERICAL SALES AFTER APPEARING IN POP VIDEO WITH JAPANESE SINGER HIKARU UTADA
  • Date: 29th June 2001
  • Summary: TOKYO, JAPAN (JUNE 29, 2001) (REUTERS) WIDE OF PRESS CONFERENCE CONFERENCE BY PINO ROBOT VARIOUS , WOMAN DEMONSTATING THE RESEARCH LAB VERSION OF PINO THE ROBOT,/ ROBOT RAISING IT'S ARM
  • Embargoed: 14th July 2001 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: TOKYO, JAPAN
  • City:
  • Country: Japan
  • Topics: Quirky,Technology
  • Reuters ID: LVA5SUK89AUM0I73Y8TXYTRIK945
  • Aspect Ratio:
  • Story Text: A small robot by the name of Pino is taking on a life of its own after starring in a music video by one of Japan's top singer.
    A robot normally confined to research labs and scientific exihibitions is ready to make its first mass public debut.
    The small, 70 centimetre humanoid robot, with a music video to its credit, is making its way into people's homes.
    Its called Pino after Pinocchio and at the moment it can do little more than walk and move around.
    But after starring in Japanese pop diva Hikaru Utada's recent music video, "Can you keep a secret?", the little thing has caught the attention of the public.
    "Pino before was mostly out at research conferences or at design festivals, there we realised that those that dealt with Pino were been given something to feel happy about. So I realised that it should not be left to sleep within the laboratory and should go out among society," said designer Tatsuya Matsui.
    ZMP Inc, a new Japanese venture firm established in January, then decided to help market a series of watered down version for personal or household uses that have recently been made public.
    Although PINO, which runs on a Pentium III 733 MHz chip, can now do little more than walk on two legs and move around, ZMP is hoping that its friendly-looking design will form the basis for the development of robots that interact with humans.
    ZMP's robot was originally developed by the Kitano Symbiotic Systems Project, which was financed by the Japan Science and Technology Corporation, a government-funded body.
    The robot's predecessors include Honda Motor Co Ltd's two-legged humanoid robot called ASIMO and Sony Corp's entertainment pet droid AIBO.
    The company cited a study compiled by industry bodies including the Japan Robot Association that estimates the market for household robots will grow to four trillion yen in 2025, up from virtually zero currently.
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