HIRO, the realistic 'torso bot' for researchers and fans of El DeBarge
By Joseph L. Flatley 
posted May 14th 2009 11:41AM
posted May 14th 2009 11:41AM
Are you a serious scientific researcher / evil genius looking for a robot for serious scientific research / "evil genius" research? Do you need something whose movements more closely approximates those of the humans who you might wish to help / destroy? Kawada Industries and General Robotix in Japan (GRX) have teamed up to develop a little something called HIRO, or "Human Interactive Robot." Designed to move in a more lifelike fashion that any robot on the market these days, this bad boy has fifteen degrees of freedom (including two in the neck, six in each arm and one in the lower back). It can also carry an object weighing up to 2kg in each arm, and its finger tip features an operating force of up to 10kgf. If that weren't enough, it also includes a head-mounted double-lens stereo vision camera, two robot hands, two hand cameras, a control PC, and a PC for information processing. For the OS, this device uses that perennial favorite of evil genuises everywhere (Windows XP) while it uses something called QNX for control systems. Available for delivery to academic research institutes and mad scientist's hideouts sometime this fall for a price of ¥7.4 million (just about $77,000) -- or, if you're on a tight budget, the basic package (which excludes the head-mounted camera, the two robot hands, and includes a simplified neck) is priced at ¥5.4 million (roughly $57,000). One more pic after the break.
I, for one, welcome our HIRO overlord.
Hatsu!!!!!!!!!!
Wow, that's original.
@ Bushrod
Your mom says it's huge too.
Wow, even more original! Dude, you're not funny... like, at all.
I love how Hollywood's Johnny 5 keeps showing up in robotic prototypes and in other robot creations (wall-e). I'm guessing the design concept (look only) was pretty good to keep referencing.
Johny 5 is alive!!!!
Who's Johnny!?
@ look around you: http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/videolinks/thatguywiththeglasses/nostalgia-critic/6825-sc12
Holy crap! I just watched Short Circuit on Netflix streaming last night... weird!
She said, and smiled in that special way
johnny 5 can destroy all other robots.
Where are the lasers? Johnny 5 had a laser and it was bad ass. Shark heads hording them all?
He removed the laser after the first movie and now has a little storage cubby where it was to hold books. NEED MAWR INPUT!!!!11!!
@jak0b
Whoosh!
@Michael Scrip
and I watched it on DVD on Sunday!
@no one in particular
"Destructo!"
I'm only commenting to say how happy I was to see Jhonny 5 and that I'm sorry I only read the first line of text. Thank you image person, thank you so very much :D
Apparently so happy that I can't even spell his name properly. Sorry Johnny 5.
All your base are belong to us.
I submit we should run all robots on win xp sp1. It'll be stable enough to run, but insecure enough for us to cause all kinds of bsod when the war breaks out.
I'm not kidding. It's coming. I mean, either that, or zombies. It's the logical progression.
Ray K disapproves of all the negative stereotyping of robots...
100% of robotical engineers have read Asimov and subscribe to his principals, even those working in the axis of evil...
(I have nothing to back this up with)
Each arm can lift 2 kg...is that supposed to be impressive? A hydraulic-powered arm can lift 4.4 pounds? Humans can do more than that, as can stand-alone robotic arms, so what's the big benefit by using this thing?
I don't get it.
I do, however, get the benefit of a "Number Johnny 5" (said in Ben Javeri's voice) cameo. Priceless.
Los locos kick your ass. Los locos kick your face. Los locos kick your balls INTO OUTER SPACE!
XD
The best comment on here :-D
The first thing I thought before I scrolled down more and saw Johnny 5 was "damn, that robot looks like Johnny 5!" Excuse me while I now reminisce and rock out to Bonnie Tyler's "I Need a Hero".
In this case, you'll be rocking out to "I need a HIRO"
*badum pish*
Thank you very much, I'm here all day.
Sarah Connor?
I prefer Cameron.
johnny five just owns LIFE
why didn't they make a sequel D:
They did, it's called Short Circuit 2. I always liked the second one better.
agreed, number two was the best.
Who is Johnny?
It's NOT Johnny-5. It's Number 5. Get the trivia right, please.
Actually, it's both. Sometimes even together!
And if you want to get really specific, it's S.A.I.N.T. Number 5 :D
Wow, no one said Wall-E...!
Number 5!!!!!!!!!!!! MORE INPUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Beau-ti-ful Ste-pha-nie!
I saw Short Circuit and Top Gun in the cinema on the same night, by myself, then walked home in the rain. It was a cold rain, the kind of rain that hugs you tight until you stop shivering and can't feel your toes. The kind of rain that washes away your tears and replaces them with less salty ones. A rain not as toxic than the modern stuff. But it was all okay - I was dangerous, I was needing input, Tom was still cool, and the cold lonely moment passed into the recesses of my neurons until now. Ahhh... good times indeed.
I'm sure that in 30 years, max, we'll be able to purchase any favourite sci-fi robot, but some of them may need to be scaled. Since J5 is of a rather utilitarian design, I reckon he'll be a popular buy. I'll pick up a J5 for helping out in the home - carrying me to the can, wiping away my drool, and power-washing the fembot - and a Terminator to drive my limo.
Bring on the bots! May J5 live forever!