bots IN BRIEF
HERE COMES THE BOT
Robot-themed weddings are becoming more and more popular (at least in
Asia), from robots modeling wedding gowns to serving as ushers. Now we have
the world’s first robot marriage witness. It was a natural fit for the bride, who
met the groom while he was working on robots at the Nara Institute of Science
& Technology. So, Kokoro’s I-FAIRY communication robot played a prominent
role in declaring the wedding a success and wishing the couple a happy future
together. Kokoro does not rent the I-FAIRY so must have allowed this special
appointment since the free advertising helped widely promote the company
(which is already famous for
its Actroid humanoid robots).
An I-FAIRY costs $70,000 USD, and two of five units produced have
already sold since its unveiling at CES 2010 in January. Perhaps one of Japan’s
“wedding centers” will buy one and make robot-themed weddings available
to the masses.
DRONE-ING ON
With all the fuss lately concerning drones
in the military, isn't it nice to know that the
next generation is on its way? Boeing recently
unveiled its Phantom Ray — part of their
Phantom Works division.
SPACING OUT
SOHLA (Space Oriented Higashiosaka Leading Association) is planning
to send a humanoid robot to the moon by 2015.At a cost of about
$10.5 million, the Japan-based group believes this can help stimulate the
local economy by getting smaller organizations involved.
LET JULIA ENTERTAIN YOU
The Advanced Control Lab at National Taiwan University is working on
JULIA — an interactive humanoid that works with touch screen or voice
commands, and has a display for home media information. She can be used
as a security guard when you are at work and, when you get home,
entertain you by singing and dancing.
22 SERVO 07.2010
