Pollen-sniffing robots put on duty in Japan
By Donald Melanson 
posted January 29th 2008 6:11PM
posted January 29th 2008 6:11PM
In yet another example of robots getting the short end of stick, a Japanese weather forecasting company is set to deploy a swarm of some 200 pollen-sniffing robots throughout the country, which will warn us humans of any impeding pollen-related dangers (and no doubt scare a few unsuspecting animals in the process). As you can see, the robots are of the spherical variety, and measure a scant one foot across and weigh in at about 2.2 pounds. Sticking true to creepy robot conventions, they also boast glowing eyes, which light up in one of five different colors to indicate the level of pollen in the air. Somewhat curiously, that information takes a rather roundabout way back to the company's headquarters, with 200 allergy suffers volunteering to keep watch on the robots and rely their status back to the company.
Is it just me or is that GLaDOS? We're all doomed, at least I have my gas-mask to protect me from the deadly neurotoxins.
ooo that thing has numbers on it!
Looks like an opportunity for a hidden mp3 player and speakers.
"ooh what's that? What's that? What's wrong with your legs?"
I wanna go to Japan so I can incinerate all those bastards.
Who are you?
What is that?
Ohhh, what are you doing?
I, for one, welcome our new pollen-sniffing robot overlords.
Look its Marvin.
That thing you burnt up isn't important to me. Not anymore. It's the Fluid Catalytic Cracking Unit; it makes shoes for orphans. Nice job breaking it, hero.
Now where did I put my portal gun?
I was wondering how quickly someone would say that. Didn't think it would be the first comment though. :)
Neurotoxins detected! *uses portal gun to escape from Japan*
@Reader
Where did you get that pic for your avatar?
"rely their status"
Surely you mean "relay"
FIRST! To point out the grammatical error... hehe
Kill all humans... must.. kill all humans... kill all humans. Hey, sexy momma... wanna kill all humans?
best dream rambling ever!
Look at me! I'm replying to a comment at the top of the page so everyone can bask in my witty genius!
@ Rocketboy
Welcome to Engadget.
No kidding. I just wish there was something we could do about the /b/tards. /B/tardism is epic when applied properly, but when applied via scattershot, it's just a form of i-jerking.
Looks more like the being of the invasion...
This was a triumph!
I'm making a note here:
"HUGE SUCCESS!!"
It's hard to overstate
my satisfaction.
Aperture Science:
We do what we must
because we can.
For the good of all of us.
Except the ones who are dead.
I didn't think we'd have GLaDOS joining us for cake so soon!
Look at you, still talking when there's science to do!
Marvin - is that you?
I hoped they come equipped with morality cores. The first time one of them promises me cake, I'm outta here!!
Why does Engadget have this facination with weird robots? First that freaky Mall "Quagmire" robot and now this.
Guys PLEASE STOP. You are giving all us nightmares!!!
Because CNN isn't going to be delivering news on these doomsday devices anytime soon.
Tomorrow engadget will see Panties-sniffing robots from the Land of Rising-Sun.
これわなんですか。
Have you tried commenting here?
http://japanese.engadget.com/
これわなんですか。
Oh darn you double post!
わー＞は
せめて日本語を勉強したらポストして下さい。
lol, I forgot that the "wa" particle uses the "ha" hiragana.
semeto nihongo o (some kanji) shitera pusu(some katakana)shite(katakana)sai.
lol, something about practicing my Japanese? I am taking japanese classes, I am a newbie.
せめて日本語を勉強したら？
したらー＞してから
せめて日本語を勉強してからポストして下さい。
せめて日本語を勉強したらポストして下さい。
Semete nihongo wo benkyou shitara posuto shite kudasai.
Please at least post when/if you study Japanese.
Now I'm only learning myself but I don't think that meant what you intended.
I assume you meant "at least learn the language before posting"?
Perhaps taking your own advice is in order? :P
nope, i meant exactly what i said.
japanese lesson of the day:
'benkyoo-sitara' is in the conditional form, meaning if/when X then Y, so 'if/when you study (are regularly studying)'.
in a more nuanced definition, the conditional presupposes an activity X which _has been started (but not necessarily completed)_ before Y takes place. This sets up a condition for doing Y - namely, having done or started X, do Y.
in this particular case, nihongo o benkyoo-sitara posuto site kudasai would mean 'please post if you study (or having studied) japanese.'
semete is a modifier meaning 'at least', which qualifies the entire clause.
so, you can translate this as:
'please post only if you study (or having studied) japanese, at least.' or, a freer translation would be 'at least study japanese before you post.'
to: whowhatme
no. your japanese is fucked, mate. what youve written isnt correct or natural. i appreciate the fact youre learning another language, but dont get all grammar-boy on a fellow learner, tossing out terms like 'conditional' to sound authoritative when it is obvious that you dont know your 穴 from your 肘.
aside from that, like they need robots to tell you that there is pollen in japan. year-round it is sniff sniff sniff. i hate sugi. what makes it worse is that they plant it for the timber industry's sake and everyone runs around with those michael jackson sneeze gauze pads. then they try and talk and all i hear is mmph mmmph mmmphhhh...eeeeh.
Oh who cares? I mean, most of the people learning Japanese in college today are doing it because they're manga-fanatic otaku japanophiles who will outgrow their fascination with big-eyes-small-mouth comic books in a few years anyway.
I live in a college town, and worked in a bookstore, and I got positively SICK of the hugh number of white kids learning Japanese just so they could read manga or watch anime in the native language. It's just ridiculous.
Learn Japanese if you're going to live in Japan or work with Japanese speakers, but don't waste college credits so you can read Naruto in Japanese.
Anyway, I came here to say one thing: Do the Japanese have to put cute/creepy faces on ALL their robots? I swear, it could be a bomb-sniffing robot, and it would still look like it had a smiling face.
"Here I am, brain the size of a planet, and they ask me to take you to the bridge. Call that job satisfaction, 'cause I don't."
I hope that isn't obscure but it is the first thing that came to my mind.
Yeah... those don't look creepy. At all.
Awwwwww- ARGH!
the cake is a lie
the cake is a lie
the cake is a lie ...
Ya, portal anyone?
I thought the same thing when I saw the pic....
this is stupid
and fake
"That was my morality core they had installed after I flooded the facility with deadly neurotoxins to stop me from flooding the facility with deadly neurotoxins."
it does look like Marvin, my fellow hitchhikers.
I agree. If only it reported pollen levels in a depressed monotone.
Pollen, the new anthrax.
Lol, where did you get that pic?
It's a shirt from Penny Arcade
They look a bit.. paranoid