Pomi robot penguin shows its emotions with smells

We've seen plenty of robots that attempt to display emotions, but none quite like this Pomi penguin bot developed by Korea's Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute, which can emit two unspecified smells in addition to employing some more common means of letting you know how it feels. Those other options include a "heart box" on its chest that changes its heartbeat based on its mood, and movable lips, eyebrows and pupils that'll let it make faces at you, along with the usual sensors to follow you around, and voice recognition to help it recite some pre-programmed answers. Unlike some other similar bots, however, this one is apparently going to actually be commercially available by the end of next month, although there's no word on a price tag just yet.

[Via The Raw Feed]

[Engadgetluvsappl @ Jun 13th 2008 4:27PM]

Me wuv you wong time!

[Thi mam(kris120890) @ Jun 13th 2008 5:03PM]

Are you a brit watching big bruv

[happy_penguin @ Jun 13th 2008 4:29PM]

Help! They've kidnapped my children!

[L:I:A:F @ Jun 13th 2008 4:58PM]

cyborg?




send your wife my regards....c section i presume

[Kaiser-Machead @ Jun 13th 2008 4:33PM]

Emits "unspecified" smells? I'll make them watch a Pauly Shore movie, and I'm sure I could get it to emit a very specific odor.

[Locke @ Jun 13th 2008 4:34PM]

No thanks... I already experience enough encounters with "unspecified smells".

[Najakwa @ Jun 13th 2008 4:36PM]

I have a policy with Old Glory Insurance, in case we're attacked by robots. Robots are everywhere, and they eat old people's medicine for fuel.

[Haikibutsu @ Jun 13th 2008 5:27PM]

Hey, we think alike! (avatars)

[telepheedian @ Jun 13th 2008 5:58PM]

Actually, it looks like you guys think different

[Stiv @ Jun 13th 2008 4:39PM]

Notice to robot makers: We don't need robots to show emotions or make smells, or kiss us. We need robots that can figure out how to do simple household chores. I want a robot I can buy and tell it, "Load the dishwasher." It's able to recognize dirty dishes and a dishwasher.

[Shinigami @ Jun 13th 2008 5:35PM]

Your cat was dirty. Your cat has been washed.

[CaptSaltyJack @ Jun 13th 2008 5:36PM]

No no, first we need robots to look and feel just like this:
http://aidoll.4woods.jp (not safe for work)

THEN we can move onto the robots to do our chores. Get your priorities straight!

[Ian @ Jun 13th 2008 8:32PM]

capt

that is freaking WAY creepy why would you buy something like that?

[Michael @ Jun 13th 2008 4:46PM]

I can see were these would come in useful, but I think I will pass. I already have a dog and two kids that take the blame for "unspecified smells".

[BlissX @ Jun 13th 2008 4:50PM]

Ahh yess....

Who needs candy and a minivan when you can have...
Pomi... the robotic penguin w/ hidden compartment of sleeping gas.

GENIUS!

[kal326 @ Jun 13th 2008 4:48PM]

Who exactly would be the customers when this becomes commercially available? I personally don't need a robot to follow me around, emit smells, and let me know how it feels. My cat seems to be doing that pretty good so far.

[crushinator @ Jun 13th 2008 4:55PM]

In my nightmares these things always come in packs. Oh, sure, you can run from them because they're not very fast. They follow you, stinking and flapping their horrible little arms. All it takes is one dead end hallway and then it's all over... crushed under a mountain of brightly colored, stench ridden, animatronic evil.

[Jason @ Jun 13th 2008 5:11PM]

You know, smells and wonky actions aside, this is about the worst 'robot' I've seen yet. It's essentially a poorly molded plastic dome with a painted on face. It screams 'incredibly cheap' and 'disposable'.

There should be a threshold in Korean law for products that are incomprehensively bad and meaningless wastes of time and resources. :D Or awards. That might be just as good.

[Wes @ Jun 13th 2008 5:24PM]

smell of fear?

[Johan S @ Jun 13th 2008 7:51PM]

This woulda been a good place to put a Friday the 13th mask ..like on one of the penguins. Better than in that eco car.

[Harry Wagstaff @ Jun 14th 2008 7:47AM]

You see the guy in the picture? That's what he looks like without the mask.

I wish he'd left it on.

[NoAndThen @ Jun 14th 2008 2:11AM]

seriously this is the dumbest thing I've EVER seen. Ever.

Enough said.

[grjohnston @ Jun 14th 2008 2:56AM]

When it's scared, it smells like urine.

[BB Sting @ Jun 14th 2008 8:22AM]

Hmm, a robot that farts. nuff said!

[Rod Munch @ Jun 15th 2008 1:21AM]

Hehe! Does it run on a Linux distro?