QRIO's turn as Kindergarten Cop

Remember how Sony sent one of their QRIO humanoid robots on a publicity stunt goodwill mission to a US preschool last year? Well it seems that their intentions were less than completely altruistic, because while the children -- ages two-and-under -- joyfully danced and played with the now-deceased bot, researchers from Sony and the University of California at San Diego's Machine Perception Laboratory were secretly videotaping and analyzing their every interaction. According to the study's recently-released results, QRIO's spy work revealed that, unsurprisingly, the toddlers developed an attachment to their artificial playmate, preferring to dance with the bot rather than alone, and eventually helping it up if it happened to topple over. Unfortunately this story is not all smiles and sunshine, however, as word of QRIO's double-life got back to the preschoolers, who reportedly overpowered their other robot companion, RUBI, and interrogated the hell out of it using a car battery and welding torch.

[Via Robot Gossip]

[Adam Younker @ Apr 17th 2006 3:38PM]

It's not a TUMAH!

[Will @ Apr 17th 2006 4:15PM]

I, for one, welcome our robotic overlords.

[ChuChu @ Apr 17th 2006 4:17PM]

Which one is the robot?

[Wanax @ Apr 17th 2006 4:44PM]

Wasn't this a Simpson's episode?

[TEH PWNERER @ Apr 17th 2006 5:23PM]

DOMO ARIGATO MR. ROBOTO

[daschupa @ Apr 17th 2006 6:33PM]

Wow, all that money and they made a hairless Tickle-Me-Elmo. Anyhoo, children would dance with a vacuum cleaner.

[Ima Pseudonym @ Apr 17th 2006 8:07PM]

Sony...deceitful? How can this be?

[sines~ @ Apr 17th 2006 9:24PM]

My girlfriend thought it'd be a neat idea to introduce my Robosapien V2 to the kids at her childcare centre... Robosapien, meet Screaming Terror! They were absolutely petrified.. HA!

[Bran @ Apr 17th 2006 9:35PM]

Yea, and what the article failed to mention is that soon after this photo was taken, ORIO went apesh*t and pulled the limbs off of every child in the room and burned a hole in the adult's head with it's laser eyes, leading the ORIO designers back to the drawing board.

Can't wait to get one.

[Dave @ Apr 17th 2006 11:02PM]

I would pay to get the video footage of this...

[kerunt @ Apr 17th 2006 11:29PM]

Hasn't anyone seen the Terminator movies? Judgement day is soon to come...

[Perrey Z @ Apr 18th 2006 1:23AM]

QRIO looks like the retarded friend we all have as kids.

#4: Yep, the episode's bot was a Furby meets Elmo type of thing.

#6: No kidding! have you seen the reaction of children and the Roombas?

#7: HA! HA! Sony has done it again.

[boss sauce @ Apr 18th 2006 2:49AM]

SIMPSONS DID IT! (correct, #4)

Funzo!
http://www.snpp.com/episodes/BABF07

[Tim @ Apr 18th 2006 7:59AM]

Thats made my day:). It's a shame sony isn't developing it anymore.

[cameron @ Apr 18th 2006 9:42AM]

Um... this is an observation nursury right? Part of the San Diego education department, if I remember clearly.

So umm.. where is the deception?

[Timerider @ Apr 18th 2006 10:29AM]

Damn kids, they have no idea how lucky they are. I want.

[Matt @ Apr 18th 2006 6:07PM]

Hmm this was pretty interesting I thought - I wonder if the kids realised it wasn't another kid, or if it was like a pet, or if it was just a fancy toy?

Maybe they can get one to try interactive play like stacking blocks (probably pretty hard to code thinking about it!) or playing with cars/dolls or something and see how the other kids react then.

[Scott Canoni @ Apr 18th 2006 8:07PM]

So where is the video? Boo...

[Wil @ Apr 19th 2006 1:50AM]

robots that can not be purchased are no good to me.
such as asimo,qrio.all talk no sale!
companys that actually sell robots shall get the world sales.if toyota wait to long to bring out there partener robots they are very likly to be out done by
others who are makeing sales now, kondo humanoid,
robosapian, cycloid ,bioloid,and others.
The company that brings out a cheap human sized humanoid robot should dominate the market as there is
not much if any compatition.