CompanionRobot
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Japan’s latest companion robot is the fuzzy, expressive Lovot
Japanese company Groove X has just unveiled its Lovot robot, but while many robots you hear about are developed to perform some sort of task, Lovot is only here to warm your heart. Built around the concept of "a little love can change the world," Lovot is a robot companion that can ask for attention, shy away from people it's not familiar with and follow you around like a pet. "The Lovot is not a useful robot that will do tasks for human beings," Groove X said in a press release. "What Groove X have pursued with technology is not efficiency or usefulness, but rather a robot that makes people truly happy by its innocent character and charming gestures that feels satisfying to cuddle."
RoboDynamics Luna: the 5-foot tall personal robotic platform (update: video)
It's a new era for personal robotics. Meet Luna, the fully-programmable robot companion platform that will ship this year. As a platform, RoboDynamics -- a Santa Monica-based company previously grounded in telepresence -- is trying to position Luna as the 5-foot tall "beige box" of modern robotics. She comes with her own one-click Luna App Store, eight "Luna Expansion Ports" (think 12/5 volt USB for robots), and Luna CloudNet where third-parties can sell additional functionality like face recognition to app developers. The robot ships with a number of personality packs and features an 8-inch touchscreen, two cameras, wireless connectivity, a three-mic array, and a variety of sensors. Oh, and she's portable. Remember, Luna's not a prototype, but a real working robot that you can actually take home for the price of an entry-level fully-loaded laptop. Update: While $1,000 is the ultimate target price, the initial batch of limited edition Luna robots will ship in Q4 for $3,000. General availability will begin in the second half of 2012 with final pricing coming later this year. %Gallery-123302%
