Fujitsu's HOAP-2 robot wipes whiteboards clean -- humankind next in line? (video)
![](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/vJIBF9adXGWo7du5xOs1dQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTcyMQ--/https://s.yimg.com/uu/api/res/1.2/5l2Nri1cCMa2O73mO3458g--~B/aD00MTM7dz01NTA7YXBwaWQ9eXRhY2h5b24-/https://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2011/02/fujitsu-hoap2-roboterase.jpg)
They've taught them how to flip pancakes and shoot arrows, and now they're teaching humanoids to erase your whiteboard. That's right, the same folks who brought you iCub in a feathery headdress are back at it with Fujitsu's HOAP-2, a humanoid robot that looks like it's related to the Jetsons' maid, and can wipe a dry erase board clean via upper-body kinesthetic learning. While scientists force the robot's arm through a number of erasing movements, an attached force-torque sensor records the patterns, allowing HOAP-2 to mimic its previous actions, and voilà! You've got a blank slate. Sure, this little guy looks perfectly harmless in comparison with the bow-and-arrow-wielding iCub, but replace that eraser with a switchblade and the human race is in a whole world of hurt.