Japanese Robot Locator keeps you safe, doesn't locate robots

Naming your new security service "Robot Locator" is a sure-fire way to get hearts aflutter here at Engadget HQ, but the new service Network Security Japan is rolling out in Osaka is a crushing disappointment, even if it is kind of neat. Instead of locating and subduing the nearest out-of-control deathbot, the system features a network of relays installed in vending machines linked to a central security office. Pressing the emergency button on your "robot locator" sends your GPS coordinates to the nearest relay and sounds the alarm at the dispatch, which can then send a security guard to assist you. Relay-equipped vending machines also feature an emergency button, for those who aren't carrying a locator. Now let's just hope they change the name by the time we need actual robot locators.

[Via Plastic Bamboo]