Japan's 2007 Robot of the Year goes to...

Putin. Ok, actually another stoic, semi-autonomous critter is the winner of Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) 2007 Robot of the Year award. The grand prize goes to the work-horse, industrial robot from Fanuc Ltd. called M-430iA. The multi-axis, greaseless (read: sanitary) robot is part of a food and pharmaceutical handling system. Unlike your unemployed uncle with his GED, this bot can work non-stop, 24 hours a day, accurately picking up 120 items per minute as they roll down a conveyor belt. Other winners are the dancing Miuro in the small- to medium-sized venture category and Matsushita's blood-toting HOSPI bot. The latter apparently winning due to its unique position to assimilate the human race. Hey, anyone else smell polonium?

[Wheeljack @ Dec 20th 2007 6:41AM]

My dad runs an industrial automation firm and I see these babies on a daily basis. Seeing them sorting and picking at full speed (or even at 50%) is amazing.

[Luis @ Dec 20th 2007 6:55AM]

Imagine building a super sized humanoid robot and adding a piar of these suckers for arms! It could pick up and squish 120 human meatbags per minute!!

Glorious!

[Neeko @ Dec 20th 2007 6:58AM]

humans are extinct.

[Jagannath A @ Dec 20th 2007 9:03AM]

I for one welcome our award winning semi-autonomous robotic overlords...

[silverblackvoid @ Dec 20th 2007 10:50AM]

couldn't stop that impulse, did you?

[Jagannath A @ Dec 20th 2007 10:29PM]

who could ?? :D

[Alex @ Dec 20th 2007 9:16AM]

come with me, if you want to live

[Josef @ Dec 20th 2007 9:50AM]

Bender was robbed!

[Henry @ Dec 20th 2007 10:27AM]

Hey, did you steal that Putin joke from Crazy Apple Rumors Site!?

[Ellianth @ Dec 20th 2007 10:28AM]

Are sex toys considered for this Robot of the Year Award? Because they've been around forever and they do their job well (i hear). I think they deserve some awards.

[Chris @ Dec 20th 2007 1:16PM]

I'd like to see this robot try to pleasure itself in the middle of the day at the public library like my unemployed uncle...

[Valgas @ Dec 21st 2007 12:06AM]

Bah. You had to pick on people with GEDs :(. Hey, well I work as a machinist now...... and I'm happy making 15 dollars an hour... bah who am i kidding I want to be a robot arm !!!

[grenavitar @ Dec 24th 2007 11:05AM]

"Unlike your unemployed uncle with his GED, this bot can work non-stop, 24 hours a day, accurately picking up 120 items per minute as they roll down a conveyor belt."

Take that, working man! haha