Competition for AIBO: Robo Cat 176
bruce76 writes, "A Japanese company called Toshihiro Tashima is slated to introduce a robotic cat similar (in concept) to the Sony Aibo. This robotic cat is called Tama," They put fur on it, but the most interesting part is that they claim it can recognize its own name. That's a improvement over Aibo who isn't deaf, but sound doesn't do too much for him.
Re:Cat Five (Score:1)
Is Illiad psycho^Hic or something? (:
Are these things programmable? (Score:2)
Call me a helpless geek, but... (Score:3)
This, OTOH, looks like a rather poor stuffed toy. Now, I don't doubt it does a fantastic job of pretending to be cat, but it just doesn't look as cool. So, unfortunately, I don't want one.
Oh well. Maybe someone will produce a proper AIBO style cat? That I can afford?
Greg
Re:Yeah, whatever... (Score:1)
The particularly worrying one was when I realised I could hear our old photocopier - not a cooling fan or motor running, but I could tell it was on as I walked past the door.
Greg
NEW ! Cat-o-matic ! (Score:1)
Here in my lab I also deal with intelligence.
And artificial intelligence.
You are all invited to check out "Patsy":
A female cat, recognizes her name, recognizes multiple specific human beings and reacts accordingly.
Never falls, can even jump !
Special regenerative power supply lasts over 10 years.
Recognizes rooms, remembers places and even interprets a human's voice or behavior.
The interpretation is stored in EPROM, so once she "understood" something, she will react faster the next time.
To avoid stereotypic behavior, the stored information will be flushed if proven invalid for several times.
That's what we humans call "learning".
"Patsy" can't speak yet, so bodylanguage is used.
There's only one string attached:
She's copyrighted by God....
george./
Is Tama a common kitty name in Japan? (Score:2)
Just wondering.
Robokoneko (Score:1)
Robokoneko wasn't developed to be a virutal pet, though, it is a proof in theory of the AI principles behind it. And from what they've doen so far, it seems they've just about proven everything they set out to do. A company in America called Genobyte is providing a lot of the funding and may very well release Robokoneko as a toy in the future... a cat that can actually start off as a kitten and "grow" (not physically of course) into a full cat.
There's so much cool stuff about Robokoneko I can't put it all in this post. They're using a distributed community model to figure out what to do with all the parts of the brain and how to interconnect them (there are thousands and thousands of modules, they think sight, hearing, the usual stuff will only take a few hundred modules, so they've got a lot of extra space).
If you're interested in genetic algorithms, neural networks, cellular automata theories, artificial intelligence in general, or anything like that, do a quick Google for Robokoneko and I promise you won't be disappointed.
Esperandi
Their machine is made of simple FPGAs too, so theoretically you could build one yourself if you knew how to do that kinda thing, they explain the way they have done it in great detail in their documents.
Re:Yeah, whatever... (Score:1)
I can hear practically all TVs in this way, but not better computer monitors at high refresh rates. They're too high. Dogs can though - it's interesting to watch.
Re:Call me a helpless geek, but... (Score:1)
I'd prefer a completely robotic robot, like the Lost in Space one.
Our secret is gamma-irradiated cow manure
Mitsubishi ad
Re:Strange; however there is another way. (Score:1)
Re:I wrote the API for it (Score:2)
If you get it to purr just right, it can serve as a marital aid.
What we really need is a critter with a loadable personality module. Depending on your mood when you get home from work, you can have it greet you with frantic good cheer, or ignore you. And you'd be *amazed* the tricks you could teach him if he has a scripting language and a serial port.
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Re:On it's Feet (Score:1)
Re:This think is a seriouse waste (Score:1)
Re:The Aibo and Tama Show??? (Score:1)
I would. (Score:2)
From job to job, with the tiny, cramped apartments I've had, it would be very cruel to a real dog to keep it so confined. With a robotic dog, I could switch it off, and not feel bad about leaving it in the closet.
Now, granted, it would be only a temporary thing until I can get a decent house to keep a dog. (Actually, I have a real dog; she's living with my parents (since they have a house with a backyard). And I would much rather have her around than a robotic dog, but it would be a terrible thing to do to her.)
I want one that's convertible into a fish... (Score:1)
Robot Penguin (Score:1)
Crusoe could even be used to keep it running longer than the one hour that Tama can run at.
It could be a new distro dubbed RoboLinux, or something like that.
great idea (Score:1)
WeeBots! (Score:1)
On it's Feet (Score:2)
Tama-Neko Creativity Lacking (Score:1)
Isn't this just (Score:1)
I mean robot cats and dogs sheesh!
Does it leave duracells around as little presents?
I mean, I suppose its a great toy but an expensive one
Small correction (Score:1)
You may also be interested to to know that Tama is probably the most common name for cats in Japan.
Re:Is Tama a common kitty name in Japan? (Score:1)
Living like Cat and Dog (Score:2)
Re:WTF? (Score:1)
That said, I'd love to have one, if only to hack it and make it do things other than the designers intended. But as a pet? Sad. Truly, truly sad.
I don't think anyone is seriously thinking it would provide companionship. Hell, if you want mechanical companionship that's under $2000, just get a vibrator.
Or, go to (icky) realdoll [realdoll.com]. Now *that's* sad.
I am the Shmoo. Ku-ku-ka-choo.
I think the thing is kind of ugly.... (Score:2)
On a side note, I read an article in the paper a few months ago about a craft store that sold realistic looking cat statues. It was later found out some were made of real cat pelts. Maybe they'll try that.
Ditch the fur man! (Score:1)
Re:Tama-Neko Creativity Lacking (Score:1)
--
I wonder... (Score:1)
Also, are they planning on having robot kids cause I'm not sure if I want the real thing...
*******************************
This is where I should write something
intelligent or funny but since I'm
Re:Meaning of the name! (Score:1)
--
Cat Five (Score:3)
Re:Cats. (Score:1)
Then, my oldest son started hacking the variables and he was able to alter the behavior, looks etc. Came up with several mutations that weren't too far off from your description, big buggy eyes, huge teeth etc.
Re:I want one that's convertible into a fish... (Score:1)
Re:Robot Penguin (Score:1)
And the blood will spray out, SPEEEEWWWWWW
Re:Although (Score:1)
You're right though, Tama does look like Bagpuss. Probably comes alive when he's alone like Bagpuss too.
Strange; however there is another way. (Score:2)
The people I know that have cats (extended family and friends) are usually people who are a bit lonely and anyone who would buy something like a robotic cat and then pay an additional $500.00 USD for it is an idiot.
Quite frankly for that price you can get one of the better purebreed animals or perhaps get a genetically enhanced version. I currently have a small black and white dog that is a mix of a miniture shetland shepdog and something else. Looks real nice, cost a bit but less than this cat.
Re:On it's Feet (Score:1)
Only if you strap toast to it's feet, butter-side-down.
Real cat "augmentation"? (Score:1)
Robokoneko (Score:1)
I think it is on the same lab that is now supporting the Tierra project.
Re:On it's Feet (Score:1)
Re:Living like Cat and Dog (Score:1)
Re:Living like Cat and Dog (Score:1)
#include "normals.h"
#include "catfuncs.h"
void main(void) {
while(1) {
switch(rand()%10) {
case 0: sleep(); break;
case 1: pounce(); break;
case 2: toy(); break;
case 3: sleep(); break;
case 4: eat(); break;
case 5: defecate(); break;
case 6: shred(); break;
case 7: sleep(); break;
case 8: sleep(); break;
case 9: walk_on_keyboard(); break;
}
}
}
or... (Score:1)
http://www.genobyte.com/robokoneko.html
Re:Small correction (Score:1)
Forget Robotic Cats... (Score:1)
Hard to pass on a Critic reference, regardless of how far I have to go to make it.
It would be nice for folks with alergies (Score:2)
Re:Living like Cat and Dog (Score:1)
Indeed. It should be programmed to come running at the sound of a can opener.
Re:Cat Five (Score:2)
Maybe I'm humor impared this morning but I really don't get this one. Could someone please explain this.
Re:Living like Cat and Dog (Score:1)
The one we call Maggie is really "sound of can opener" The one we call Kapua is secretly "bag of kitty food being shaken" and lastly, the one we have named most accurately: Curious-about-Bowls, is "Sound of human eating cereal."
Toonage (Score:2)
Re:Cats. (Score:2)
the moon in a tin-can like voice. I want them to BEG for their batteries. I want them to develop a strong hatred for the Energizer Bunny, Barney, and Teletubbies. They are to be lasered on sight.
No I really haven't heard of these care to elaborate?
In all reality I think you would want the robots to respect you. If you read enough science fiction you will note that irrated robots == robots on revenge. Emerging intelligence would eventually foil your plans.
For their service, I will provide robotic modifications - ultraviolet lasers with a 1.5M volt output (ultraviolet lasers leave the air the laser fired through ionized providing a path for electrons to follow. Think: tesla coil), evil glowing
eyes, 180 db pizo-electric buzzers from hell and IR / RF outputs to mess with electronics. These will be the pets from hell
If you can get them to fear you perhaps the best tactic is to not remove anything. Never make concessions not one with slaves.
I like that.. the perfect compliment to a BOFH's LART - 30 evil robotic cats. "Awww, aren't they cute - look at those 6" long metal claws.... oh.. wait..." *electronic growling* RUN FOOL RUN!!!!!
Buwhahahaahahahaha!
Robots have a great deal of power but they are usually not very accurate or swift. Plus one person with a nice solid wrecking bar or an oak baseball bat would reduce your "army" to scrap metal.
Re:Cat Five (Score:2)
-- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?
Easy to make! (Score:1)
Re:Toonage (Score:2)
care to try again?
Tama (Score:1)
Robot cats may be useful (Score:2)
One could even envision a travel version, where the physical robot cat is dispensed with altogether, and replaced with a small box connected to a pair of video glasses and a tactile feedback glove. Switch it on and a virtual cat appears, which you can interact with.
Do androids dream of electric sheep? (Score:1)
In his visionary novel, set in a dystopian, post-apocalyptic future, live animals are mostly extinct, and artificial (designed and genetically engineered, although not robotic) animals and humans exist as luxury objects.
It's ironic and sad that we keep looking for, and hoping to discover, life on other planets, when at the same time we're eliminating those on our own. Someday, as spaceships probe planet after planet for life in remote galaxies and come up emptyhanded, and we realize how special and precious our little ecological fluke of a planet is, we will understand this better. Until then we're doomed to shoot ourselves in our feet, collectively, and unknowingly.
Perhaps one day we'll learn to develop such artificial creatures complex enough to serve as substitutes for the real kind, and we'll forget about the real ones. As human settlements expand (and they do), we'll eventually overrun the animal kingdom, which already has a large number of endangered species.
I suspect that, sometime in the future, not too far off, we will have ceased to look upon the idea of a robotic animal only as a quaint, cute, and practical toy with a convenient "off" button, but as the only available alternative. Welcome to a penguin-less future.
Re:Get a cycas revoluta! (Score:1)
-----------------------------------------
Re:It's a sad indicator of our geek society (Score:1)
And if I want a cool robot to follow me around - I'll buy/make one who looks like a robot. Wheels, wires, blinking leds, and so on.
Re:It's a sad indicator of our geek society (Score:2)
Why? Vet bills & food for the past 5 years have totaled ~20k$, & I expect them to live for ~5 years more (some were adopted, so are older than 5).
"But where's the actual 'love' a -real- pet can give you?" Bah. Simple behaviours which should be fairly easy to reproduce - & I'd imagine in 5 years the AI's will be fairly sophisticated. Dog rubs his head against my leg when I come home, cat walks up to have his head scratched & be petted - how hard would this be to reproduce? Not very, I'd think.
I'm attached to this machine - why not to one which can walk & bark? W/ luck & upgrades, I could potentially play some video games against it, something you can't do w/ a real dog - imagine trying to teach Rover chess.
That being said, current AIBO's are seriously lacking:
a) They're puppies. Puppies are, by their nature, limited; poor balance & coordination, not very smart. In a big-dog world, they can't compete. If you want a watchdog, forget a perma-puppy: burglar deterrence factor zero.
b) They're cheaply constructed. A quick look through AIBO message boards & mailing lists shows breakdowns aplenty; lotsa AIBO's out there w/ limps or worse.
c) Batteries & power; not strictly SONY's fault, but battery technology (fuel cells?) needs to get better for these to be effective. & at the minimum, they need to be able to find their charger & plug themselves in w/o intervention when needed.
My idea of an ideal AIBO: size & shape of a doberman, full-grown; stainless steel, aluminum, & titanium construction (maybe a carbon fiber shell over aluminum would work, I'd imagine keeping weight down would help the servos a bit). Servos capable of the same output as a real dog's muscles (more, of course, would be fine). The ability to run & jump. Face recognition, voice recognition. 12 hour battery life (roughly what a real dog can do before needing sleep under rough conditions). A 10 year warranty on parts.
If this were made, I'd pay 50k$ for it happily - this would be a 'dog' without any of the current heartache of vet visits, peeing on carpets, mood swings, & eventual death.
Someone make it; I will come.
Re:Sad state of robotic cats (Score:2)
I can imagine stripping the fur and creating a kinds Terminator effect robocat.
Now there's a thought!
There's no point... (Score:1)
It's not a *real* cat if you don't stop yelling "Down!" at it.
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It only says two things... (Score:1)
One of them, Flatulent is the least congenial creature I can imagine saddling any pet owner with. The other, Brain Damage is about as lively as a dead carp...
They make wonderful evening companions after a beer bash. Flatulent is as ornery, uncoordinated and swilled as I've ever managed to get and Brain Dead is a great pal, if you like to hang around the coma ward at the hospital
And they only ever say two things:
When dinner?and
Everything here is mine!
Like what kind of an idiot would shell out good dough for, uh, I did. And worse.. Like Frankenstein's monster They're, Alive!!
Never mind...
Re:Living like Cat and Dog (Score:1)
It is. From the article:
Microphones embedded in the cat's head enable her to recognise her own name and react by turning her head and blinking coyly.
Re:Living like Cat and Dog (Score:2)
In fact, most dog lovers/catphobes claim that they would have liked cats more if they had known my cats as a child, because they are very friendly and intelligent. I think it's great that they are trying to improve AI by moving up from a dog to a cat. It seems like it would be much harder to simulate or code for cat-like stimulus response, which is often subtle and follows a certain complex reasoning of its own, rather than dogs, which I have found in personal experience to be much more predictable and overtly command-oriented.
Don't get me wrong - I've had a fair number of dogs, too, and I've loved them all. Their social behavior is essentially more cooperative than cats, but only the very smartest dogs I've ever met seem even as intelligent as average cats to me. And, the smart dogs are often "cat-like" in behavior as well, being less prone to do any trick or command at the drop of a hat just because you ask them to.
We must move forwards, not backwards, upwards, not forwards, and always twirling, twirling, twirling towards freedom. - Klinn-ton
Warning! Asshole above linked to a Pron site (Score:1)
Hmmm They've outdone nature!?!?!/ (Score:1)
My cats have NEVER done that.
--
Re:Isn't this just (Score:1)
Does it leave duracells around as little presents?
LOL!!
I am the Lord.
Re:I think the thing is kind of ugly.... (Score:2)
"Mini-me, we do not gnaw on our kitty, now stroke mini-Mr. Bigglesworth."
-- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?
Re:Strange; however there is another way. (Score:1)
Coming to a store near you! RoboPlant (Score:1)
It just sits on the table doing nothing...
BUT IT'S ROBOPLANT!
If you water it, it dies.
BUT IT'S ROBOPLANT!
If you talk to it, it does nothing...
BUT IT'S ROBOPLANT!
Gotta get 'em all!!!!!
Monkey (Score:1)
Due to this post, a monkey with antlers strapped to its head was set free in a forest in Mebane, North Carolina. An hour later, the monkey was found dead... strapped to the hood of some yokel's truck.
LouZiffer
If it doesn't respond, that's normal (Score:1)
Re:Warning! Asshole above linked to a Pron site (Score:1)
Re:Robot pets are a 70's invention! (Score:1)
Digital robots are evolutionary deadend (Score:1)
Here [lanl.gov]
Actually, I think some hybrid combination of this with digital management and nonvolatile storage might eventually win out.
Re: Cat Five page... (Score:1)
I think the name Script Kitty is funnier...
It is, but Illiad wasn't the first to think of it. Check out the Script Kittie on the OpenBSD 2.6 cover art [openbsd.org]. He isn't explicitly called that on the cover, but that's what he's called on the t-shirt page [openbsd.org].
I think that the cat is sort of dumb (The UF cat, not the BSD one!). Perhaps Illiad a bit distracted about going to CeBIT? Or maybe his creative juices are running low after the kick-ass "Pitr the Borg vs. Crud Puppy" arc.
Hmmm, what should Pitr's "Borg name" be? I'm wagering on "vi of IX". (Emacs users, just ignore that.) ;-)
Yes, it's official. Jesus uses vi.
I am the Lord.
Personality modules.... (Score:1)
When talking cars came out "The door is ajar." I thought it would be fun to produce personality modules to replace the ho-hum voices vehicles came with. At the time, Mr. T was a celebrity and I thought the Mr. T version could say, "You left the door open, FOOL! When's that las' time you checked the oil in this thang?!"
Re:Isn't this just (Score:2)
- Tama's batteries only keep her going for one hour.
No, but Tama has about the same battery life of my real cat. I wish I could sleep that much.
Faker (Score:2)
http://slashdot.org/users.pl?op=userinfo&nick=h
is not
http://slashdot.org/users.pl?op=userinfo&nick=h
It's the same prank pulled on Bruce Perens a while back...
Looks like we have some FakerDots to contend with... (FakerDots meaning dot behind the nick not meaning SlashDot fakers.. Just wanted to make it clear where my mem comes from)
I've seen this before... (Score:2)
Re:Living like Cat and Dog (Score:2)
Deprecated dun said:
Actually, my cat will respond to her name, either by coming over or making little chirpy-meows at you or meowing "for ME?".
Then again, it can truthfully be said that my cat isn't exactly a normal kitty, either. Firstly, her name is Dementia (Demi for short) because as a kitten, her first act upon being brought home was to chase her tail and bite it continuously for five hours straight (and even to this day, she will still occasionally do it...chasechasechase, bite, "ow", licklicklick, "ooh, it's MOVING!", chasechasechase...rolling around in a ball of kitty). Secondly, she is about the only non-Siamese-descended kitty I know of that makes a concerted effort to learn English (Demi is what is known in cat circles as an Exotic Shorthair--half-Persian, half American Shorthair--they have very plush, almost chinchilla-like coats and shorter faces than most farm-kitties)...she can say "For me?", "Mom", "Throw it" VERY clearly, and she mutter-meows other stuff (like when she is having a conversation with Mommy or Daddy). Thirdly, Anything Mommy Does, Demi Must Do (including asking Mommy if clothes are for her, trying to help Mommy post to Slashdot, trying to help Mommy and/or Daddy fix dinner while asking if it's for her, etc.). She will even copy mannerisms at times...including trying to dance once when her dad went "Bust a move, Demi!" trying to get her off of a FAQ for a Playstation game :). Fourthly, for some weird reason her catnip gene never kicked in until she was two years old, and her catnip abuse consists of the following: a) roll on bag of catnip and attempt to kill bag. b) Pick up a mouthful and throw it after huffing catnip fumes when Mommy opens bag to get some out for Demi. c) Spend next four hours licking walls, carpet, and any other available objects. Fifthly, she was one of the few cats I've ever seen who drool when excited (she's finally gotten over that, thank Goddess).
This is why she is generally known as Demi the half-a-kitty around the house. The body is definitely that of a kitty. The brain, we have doubts about ;) (And it's not because she's imprinted on humans, either...my husband got her when she was twelve weeks old (near the top limit of when you CAN adopt kittens before they start turning feral on you) and she'd lived all her life before then as a farm-kitten (among working farm-cats). She's just crazy. ;)
Re:Living like Cat and Dog (Score:2)
It's a sad indicator of our geek society (Score:3)
Cats. (Score:4)
For their service, I will provide robotic modifications - ultraviolet lasers with a 1.5M volt output (ultraviolet lasers leave the air the laser fired through ionized providing a path for electrons to follow. Think: tesla coil), evil glowing eyes, 180 db pizo-electric buzzers from hell and IR / RF outputs to mess with electronics. These will be the pets from hell
I like that.. the perfect compliment to a BOFH's LART - 30 evil robotic cats. "Awww, aren't they cute - look at those 6" long metal claws.... oh.. wait..." *electronic growling* RUN FOOL RUN!!!!!
Buwhahahaahahahaha!
A cat that recognises its name ? (Score:3)
How would you know, they always ignore you until they're hungry. A great marketing ploy
"Ignores you just like a real Cat"
Next ARPO the robotic Whelk just like having the real thing.
Re:Living like Cat and Dog (Score:3)
Who likes cats? (Score:3)
Homer: Ooh, I want to pet Santa's Little Helper again.
Marge: Homer, you just petted him. Why don't you pet the cat.
Homer: The cat? What's the point?
company's name (Score:2)
Re:Robot Penguin (Score:2)
Stan Winston made a bunch of them for Batman Returns.
Bagpuss? (Score:2)
Nick (hiding behind sofa)
PS For those of you who have never seen Bagpuss, think Reanimator crossed with those Chucky movies.
This is no great technical feat. (Score:5)
-Sit comatose for hours on end
-Meow incessantly for no reason whatsoever
-Mindlessly scratch all furniture it sees to shreads
-Ignore everything that people say to it
The technology to accomplish this has existed for decades.
:-)
--
I wrote the API for it (Score:5)
There is a software API for this thing. I wrote a large part of it. I basically modeled it on my own cat.
It supports the following calls:
sleep()
eat()
go_potty()
shred()
pounce()
sleep_more()
Pretty much covers it, I think.
The Aibo and Tama Show??? (Score:2)
Re:I think the thing is kind of ugly.... (Score:3)
What a sad people... (Score:2)
Re:Cats. (Score:2)
Consciousness is not what it thinks it is
Thought exists only as an abstraction
Re:This is no great technical feat. (Score:2)
As I read that, suddenly I realized the horrible truth behind my job... they're doing an experiment on me to see how to turn a human into a cat!
- comatose? Check!
- ignoring all external stimuli? Check!
- fiercely territorial? Check!
- social only before mealtimes? Check!
My goodness -- I'm the behavioral model for RoboCat! I wonder if it knows Perl?
--
hrmf. (Score:2)