Keeping those dreams alive by scrubbing dishes at your least favorite eatery? Best put those aspirations on the front burner, as Panasonic's got a mighty fine robot swooping in to take your place -- and for a whole lot less cash, to boot. At Panny's robotics laboratory in Osaka, the company recently showcased its latest gaggle of prototype robots designed to help humans take it easy more often. Among the usual suspects were a porter robot designed to help with heavy lifting, while the star of the show was undoubtedly the dish washing bot that wasn't afraid to get its metallic digits wet and soapy. As expected, an array of integrated sensors kept it from grabbing a wine glass too tightly, and its four fingers enabled it to do most everything a human washer could (sans the kvetching). Have a peek at these guys in action just past the break.
I'm sorry, I'm all up for getting out of doing the dishes (or even loading the dish washer) and I will definitely welcome our dish-washing robot wives, sorry overlords, but this seems so incredibly far from a useful product that I would hesitate to even refer to it as a prototype.
Specially shaped plates, ultra slow movement...just what is so special about this?
Hmmm, apparently you would rather they don't work on getting these things developed. I mean, if a prototype has to work with specialty plates it's a bad idea to be doing research with them, right?
I mean, the first transistors were HUGE, nobody wanted them in their house, right? It was a complete waste of time for them to be developed and researched.
seriously, if Engadget isn't supposed to report a new development or a step ahead in robotic technology, and not a bad step at that, what else is it supposed to report on? either you're reading the wrong site, or you just like saying bad things about the Blog you read.
A mechanical arm that can pick up and put down things....gosh! A powered, wheeled pulling thingy...wow! (been around for years, and where's the "robotic" in it?) A electric bed...OK, I'll give you that, it looks pretty cool. (it'll even allows all those McDonald's customers to leave their bedrooms for the first time in years...they just won't be allowed to use the drive through)
So sorry, I barely see the "gadget" here. Now if all these items could be remote controlled by an iPhoney, then I would not only expect to see it on Engadget, but would not be surprised to see a banner ad, podcast and maybe even an Engadget Kitchen/hospital/fatty-bed dedicated site.
It's called 'I, Robot', and the robots in that film are hard-coded with a set of three rules (The Three Laws of Robotics) which are designed to stop the robots going crazy. The whole film is based on the fact that the robots interpretation and the designed interpretation of the rules aren't the same. That and Will Smith saving a cat.
Wow, that bed that transforms into a wheel chair could have massive applications in the health care industry. If anything in that video is actually sold, the bed should be the one.
Are you kidding. On my iPhone, which is better than a PC, I can do every thing. Windows sucks. My iPod Touch does more stuff than a Windows 7 PC. Ewww, windows 7, what an abomination. Yuck Yuck Yuck. My iPod touch can render an entire movie, unlike the Zune.
So you are willing to pay thousands of dollars for a robot to cook you rice and wash your dishes for you? Why not support a college student (tuition) or jobless youngster and have them do those things for you as a live-in maid. I'm sure you could find some eye-candy (both male or female) to do those things for you for much less.
This kitchen concept is impressive? Walt Disney could have done this in the 50's. ( Kitchen that is.. ) Seriously, what a bunch of crap! What freaking year is this? What century?
It's the writer who should reconsider his career aspirations. If you're putting something on hold or delaying it, you put it on the BACK burner, not the FRONT burner.
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posted Oct 18th 2009 11:11AM
I for one welcome our finger condom dish washing overlords.
We've actually had dishwashing robots for a number of decades. They're called. . . um. . . dishwashers.
Yeah, but dishwashers don't load themselves!
I'm sorry, I'm all up for getting out of doing the dishes (or even loading the dish washer) and I will definitely welcome our dish-washing robot wives, sorry overlords, but this seems so incredibly far from a useful product that I would hesitate to even refer to it as a prototype.
Specially shaped plates, ultra slow movement...just what is so special about this?
And don't even get me started about the dinky little finger condoms. What size are those anyway; "iPhone user?"
Hmmm, apparently you would rather they don't work on getting these things developed. I mean, if a prototype has to work with specialty plates it's a bad idea to be doing research with them, right?
I mean, the first transistors were HUGE, nobody wanted them in their house, right? It was a complete waste of time for them to be developed and researched.
Not so, I'm all for development, but why is this special enough for Engadget to report on?
Slow News Sunday I guess.
Are you kidding? Engadget reports when the Apple store is down. Them reporting on this is actually a step up for Engadget.
true dat
seriously, if Engadget isn't supposed to report a new development or a step ahead in robotic technology, and not a bad step at that, what else is it supposed to report on? either you're reading the wrong site, or you just like saying bad things about the Blog you read.
If it saves me the hassle of loading and unloading the dishwasher, it's worth being developed.
Yes, I'm lazy.
@Mynk
Show me the new development here.
A mechanical arm that can pick up and put down things....gosh!
A powered, wheeled pulling thingy...wow! (been around for years, and where's the "robotic" in it?)
A electric bed...OK, I'll give you that, it looks pretty cool. (it'll even allows all those McDonald's customers to leave their bedrooms for the first time in years...they just won't be allowed to use the drive through)
So sorry, I barely see the "gadget" here. Now if all these items could be remote controlled by an iPhoney, then I would not only expect to see it on Engadget, but would not be surprised to see a banner ad, podcast and maybe even an Engadget Kitchen/hospital/fatty-bed dedicated site.
"and for a whole lot less cash, to boot"
Wow only 1.1 million dollars!
1.1 billion dollars, I wish it was 1.1 million though.
Has anyone watched iRobot recentally? Some rules governing robots' interaction with humans would be nice.
It's called 'I, Robot', and the robots in that film are hard-coded with a set of three rules (The Three Laws of Robotics) which are designed to stop the robots going crazy. The whole film is based on the fact that the robots interpretation and the designed interpretation of the rules aren't the same. That and Will Smith saving a cat.
Wow, that bed that transforms into a wheel chair could have massive applications in the health care industry. If anything in that video is actually sold, the bed should be the one.
will it make me a sandwich?
Not unless you mod it, flash it with some custom firmware.
sudo make me a sandwich
mmmmm robotic repetitive hand movements----I see porn industry applications.
Is it just me, or do grayed out, low ranked comments become more readable as you scroll down and they, as a result, come up higher on the page?
I dont know about it doing something else would you trust that hand!,let alone it not that sexy looking n less your into,hardware or something!!!! :O
No, it's your LCD's viewing angle.
Are you kidding. On my iPhone, which is better than a PC, I can do every thing. Windows sucks. My iPod Touch does more stuff than a Windows 7 PC. Ewww, windows 7, what an abomination. Yuck Yuck Yuck. My iPod touch can render an entire movie, unlike the Zune.
(Please low rank meh)
Hmm....I wonder what else they can make that hand do
Now Jason, don't tell me your to lazy to do that !!
can it do something useful like cooking rice?
So you are willing to pay thousands of dollars for a robot to cook you rice and wash your dishes for you?
Why not support a college student (tuition) or jobless youngster and have them do those things for you as a live-in maid. I'm sure you could find some eye-candy (both male or female) to do those things for you for much less.
Seems like a better value than my wife. Sold!!!
hesitant b/c there's no standards? then they should go full force with it and create the standard.
The last one reminds me of Wall-E.
hehe I was thinking that too
This kitchen concept is impressive? Walt Disney could have done this in the 50's. ( Kitchen that is.. )
Seriously, what a bunch of crap! What freaking year is this? What century?
Dey tuk er jerbs!!
The robotic bed looks really useful for people with disabilities.
hehehe i like poo washing robots
It's the writer who should reconsider his career aspirations. If you're putting something on hold or delaying it, you put it on the BACK burner, not the FRONT burner.
Sure, first they wash your dishes. Then, they decide to wash out your skull.