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PLEN robot ready to skate into your life
If you've been admiring PLEN's skateboarding and rollerskating skills from afar, you're now only a massive credit card bill away from having one school you up close, with at least one store now stocking the pint-sized bot. Snagging it from AudioCubes will set you back a hefty $2,399, which we hope would also include his trusty skateboard, although the product description doesn't state as such. Sure, it's a little exorbitant, but we're guessing that at least some of you will think it's worth it, even if just to see the look on your Robosapien's face when it skates out of the box. Better not take too long to decide though, as the company's apparently only making 50 of 'em to start with in order to judge interest.[Via I4U News].
Robot hospital: the doctor will 011100110110010101100101 you now
We've certainly seen our fair share of robotic surgeons, nursebots, and robopharmacists around here, but what happens when it's the robots themselves that need a little medical attention? Why you ship them off to Osaka, Japan's Akazawa Roboclinic, of course. Although some people might write off the recently-opened clinic-- which is run by Systec Akazawa, makers of the skateboarding, Bluetooth-controlled PLEN bot -- as little more than a repair shop, the employees apparently conduct themselves in a very professional manner, donning traditional hospital lab coats and dividing the space into examination, operating, and rehabilitation rooms. The hospital is currently staffed by just four "physicians" led by a Dr. Ohno, who says that the most common maladies they encounter are faulty motors, fractured frames, and severed wires. So before sending your malfunctioning Robosapien, decapitated Qrio, or rabid Aibo to that great mechatronic heaven in the sky (a.k.a. your local landfill), spend a few bucks on a long distance call to Akazawa -- they may just be able to fix up your beloved robotic companion and return him/her as good as new.[Via Robot Gossip and Loving the Machine]
PLEN keeps trim 'n fit with skating activities
We suppose it's not really fair compare to anybody, even a robot, to our atrocious skills on a skateboard, but it sure looks like PLEN could manage fairly well against us in a street challenge. Even in his time off, PLEN takes to a bit of roller skating, and we already know about his penchant for the dance. Sounds like PLEN is on a mission to set an example for today's young robots in physical fitness, but the $2,200 price tag is still a bit hefty. Still, at 9-inches and 1.54 pounds, PLEN is putting the hurt on most consumer-ish humanoids in the mobility department.[Via MobileWhack]
