Pioneer's Navi Robo waves you in the right direction (video)

Before you dismiss this as just another crazy idea out of Japan, hear us out. The newly developed, crab-simulating Navi Robo is designed to give drivers visual navigating assistance as a supplement to their GPS device. Its primary benefit, aside from helping the hearing impaired, will be in conveying instructions without requiring the driver to focus on it, as its eyes light up for attention and its "claws" vibrate urgently when an upcoming turn is imminent. Frankly, it looks both cute and functional, and we think kudos are in order for both Pioneer and iXs Research for coming up with the idea. They'll be taking their usual good time (read: a couple of years) to refine and develop the idea, but we've got video of the robot doing its thing right now -- you know where to find it.

[sweetelectro Posted May 21st 2010 6:18AM]

Nope, crazy idea out of Japan.

[Prospero Posted May 21st 2010 7:38AM]

@sweetelectro

Seems like a kind of a good idea to me!

[NewBie Posted May 21st 2010 7:41AM]

@sweetelectro Not everybody gets it! Voice navigation will not work for the deaf, and they drive here in Japan - I do not know about your country.

[James Sonne Posted May 21st 2010 9:16AM]

That would get really annoying, really quickly.

They should make it taunt you when you miss a turn, "You dumb son of a b***h, I told you to turn half a block ago!"

[pavlindrom Posted May 21st 2010 10:43AM]

@Prospero
To me too. It would be great if it were a complete navigation package. I don't have navigation in my car, and having a mini screen on the chin of the animal would help a lot.

[littlea Posted May 21st 2010 6:20AM]

COOL . HOW DOES THIS LITTLE ONE CONNECT TO GPS ?

[lukewakeford Posted May 21st 2010 6:26AM]

@littlea probably a bit of bluetooth to the Sat Nav sat next to it.. Punnn..

[Wiggy Fuzz Posted May 21st 2010 6:46AM]

i want a general grievous version, waving about several little mini lightsabers.

that would rock my world

[chasing statues Posted May 21st 2010 6:47AM]

i like it when its little arm shakes to remind you to turn...

[SeeKo Posted May 21st 2010 10:16AM]

@chasing statues
Looks epileptic to me. And the eyes remind me of the hypnotoad.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiVYjRbZMe0

[Michalis Posted May 21st 2010 8:24PM]

@SeeKo LMAO!!! EXACTLY!

[brettlewis Posted May 21st 2010 6:58AM]

Great idea, silly package. I forget to look at my GPS all the time and always have it on mute cause it pisses me off. "TURN IN 50 ft" "TURN IN 45 ft" "TURN IN 30 ft" SHUT UP!


anyways.... this is much better. I love crabs.. I mean, I love technology.

[Zylam Posted May 21st 2010 7:03AM]

why don't you drive and i'll wave my hands around

[42Hz Posted May 21st 2010 7:17AM]

Hypnotoad?!

[SeeKo Posted May 21st 2010 10:18AM]

@42Hz
Saw your comment to late, after I posted above. But I thought the exact same thing. LOL

[42Hz Posted May 21st 2010 1:18PM]

@SeeKo Hehee.. I was so obviously a hypnotoad. :)

[magallanes Posted May 21st 2010 7:46AM]

fine but i will wait for a hula girl doll version.

[flanders Posted May 21st 2010 8:19AM]

I can't wait to have one of these surgically removed from my face after an accident!

[Brian J Posted May 21st 2010 8:21AM]

Hey! Listen!

[f314 Posted May 21st 2010 9:17AM]

@Brian J

Haha, brilliant! I hear TomTom is really into this "famous pop culture character voice" thing.. Maybe they should team up with them on this? :P

"WHAAAAT!!! Look at all those street signs! Can you figure out which ones are real?"
"I can't help you! Because of the waves of darkness, I can't get close!"

Nah, maybe not...

[Jailbreakjim Posted May 21st 2010 8:45AM]

Am I a geek because I read the title as "pioneer's Na'vi robo..."?

[drewmcd621 Posted May 21st 2010 9:04AM]

@Jailbreakjim No, u just have bad taste in movies

[f314 Posted May 21st 2010 9:18AM]

@drewmcd621 I was JUST about to reply with the same exact words :)

[buoy Posted May 21st 2010 9:32AM]

I'd rather listen to a paper clip damn me with faint praise... oh, hang on. naah, that's still worse. but this isn't far from it.

[thespacecowboy Posted May 21st 2010 10:46AM]

Will this stop my wife sticking her hand out to the left and verbally saying "go right" ?

[Doc139115 Posted May 21st 2010 12:01PM]

@thespacecowboy a hard backhand will stop that

[Bratyr Posted May 21st 2010 12:06PM]

I'm thinking 'yeah that's pretty cute', then it hits 100m to go and you get THE RED LASER EYES OF DEATH!

[jimrin Posted May 21st 2010 12:16PM]

As the article says, seems like a good idea for the hearing impaired. Now they just need to get a good GPS car navigation system for the visually impaired!

[Jackhole Posted May 21st 2010 1:55PM]

Them Japs. Odd Ducks.

I do kinda like how the arm shakes violently and then drops down as if to say..."Awwww fuck...you missed it."

[pbusardo Posted May 26th 2010 1:06PM]

Ha! My wife already hates my navigation system and argues with it all the time. This she would swat like a bug!