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]
posted Apr 17th 2006 2:59PM
It's not a TUMAH!
I, for one, welcome our robotic overlords.
Which one is the robot?
Wasn't this a Simpson's episode?
DOMO ARIGATO MR. ROBOTO
Wow, all that money and they made a hairless Tickle-Me-Elmo. Anyhoo, children would dance with a vacuum cleaner.
Sony...deceitful? How can this be?
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!
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.
I would pay to get the video footage of this...
Hasn't anyone seen the Terminator movies? Judgement day is soon to come...
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.
SIMPSONS DID IT! (correct, #4)
Funzo!
http://www.snpp.com/episodes/BABF07
Thats made my day:). It's a shame sony isn't developing it anymore.
Um... this is an observation nursury right? Part of the San Diego education department, if I remember clearly.
So umm.. where is the deception?
Damn kids, they have no idea how lucky they are. I want.
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.
So where is the video? Boo...
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.