While we thoroughly enjoyed hearing of EMIEW's (presumably) short-lived career as a hotel clerk, it looks like Hitachi's EMIEW 2 has some seriously large aspirations. In a recent demonstration in Hitachinaka, the two-wheeled robot wowed onlookers as it received commands wirelessly and happily ran office errands without too much trouble. The creation, which stands some 31.5-inches tall and weighs 29-pounds, did crash into a desk and stand motionless momentarily while being previewed, but developers didn't hesitate to inform the crowd that kinks were still being ironed out. Nevertheless, it was able to avoid obstacles while rolling about, understand and respond to human speech and move around for an hour before needing a recharge. The company refused to spill details surrounding its eventual price and release date, but we're hearing there may soon be an open spot in Scranton that this fellow could certainly fill.

[Via Inquirer]

Ok folks, the future is officially upon us: Japan has just built a robot with a frickin' laser embedded in its head. Yes, we were thinking Cylons too, but it turns out that their intentions are not quite as devious. The new Excellent Mobility and Interactive Existance as Workmate bot (EMIEW) -- who last had a gig as a hotel clerk -- has now been equipped with a sensory laser, giving it the ability to navigate a crowd without bumping into people. Hitachi will demo the new-and-improved EMIEW at the 2006 World Automotive Congress beginning October 23 in Yokohama, Japan -- we just hope that its laser is also able to identify shorter folks, because injured toddlers are really bad PR.

[Via The Raw Feed]