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NAO Humanoid Robot Set To Hit the Market
Posted by
kdawson
on Wed Jul 23, 2008 12:48 PM
from the can-you-say-awww-cute dept.
from the can-you-say-awww-cute dept.
KentuckyFC writes "Earlier this year, Paris-based Aldebaran-Robotics picked up $8 million in venture capital funding to help commercialize its NAO humanoid robot. The target market for this device is research labs working on the next generation of robotic hardware and software. Today, the company has posted a detailed spec of NAO on the arXiv saying that it expects the robot to cost about $15,000 each. That's cheap compared to other humanoids. Fuitsu's HOAP humanoids cost $50,000 each and various estimates price Honda's Asimo at $1 million per bot, although they are not for sale. Aldebaran-Robotics says that NAO's cost should come down to about $6,000 as production ramps up."
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Posterity will condemn us... (Score:5, Insightful)
A hundred years from now, whether the readers are C or Fe, they will get a feeling of nausea reading about the 'retail prices' of 'humanoids.'
Re:Posterity will condemn us... (Score:5, Funny)
A hundred years from now, whether the readers are C or Fe, they will get a feeling of nausea reading about the 'retail prices' of 'humanoids.'
No, because it will be illegal to talk about the robocaust.
Parent
Re:Posterity will condemn us... (Score:5, Funny)
No, because it will be illegal to talk about the robocaust.
You sound like a Robocaust denier!
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Robocaust? What robocaust? I've never heard of a robocaust before. It sounds like something made up by a /.er.
Yeah, everyone knows the correct term is Robocalypse.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Posterity will condemn us... (Score:4, Funny)
To be fair, even natural-born humans have a price, 5.1 million dollars if I remember right, according to the US government.
The subtlety being in the word 'retail'. The US government doesn't sell people in "people stores".
Or does it?
Parent
Re:Posterity will condemn us... (Score:4, Funny)
Parent
Not soon enough! (Score:5, Funny)
I want my robot NAO!
Science Fiction to Science (Score:4, Interesting)
Re: (Score:2)
Somewhere in the back of my mind I have this strange feeling that we are slowly heading into Asimov's world. And all the problems (and benefits) that come along with it ...
We were promised our own robots back in the 1950's. So, we finally have them. Now where is my flying car?
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
where is my flying car?
Try a Powered Parachute [easyflight.com] - no license to fly a single-seater, and they can be had for a little over $5000 [airframesunlimited.com]. With an airspeed of 30 MPH, you will easily outpace most rush hour LA freeways :)
Re: (Score:2)
Since a core feature of that world is that certain behavioral constraints favorable (in general terms) to humanity were features of robotic brains, not because they were designed that way, but as a matter essentially of natural law (in Asimov's works, the laws of robotics were discovered, not designed), I somehow doubt that we are heading
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Apparently, we're both right; Asimov's portrayal of the laws is inconsistent -- they are at times (particularly in later works) portrayed as fundamental and inherent in the nature of the positronic brain, and at times (particularly in earlier works) portrayed as alterable, engineered safeguard's. Wikipedia gives a rationalization of this (without c
Re:Science Fiction to Science (Score:5, Insightful)
Asimov's universe has robots being banned on Earth, robot colonies dying, and robotics itself dying as well, with R. Daneel Olivaw being the only remaining robot in a galaxy with no non-human sentient life (except on Gaia, where everything is sentient).
I think Asimov's robots will be about as like the real future's robots as his Multivac is to the internet. I don't see robots being banned.
Parent
Re:Science Fiction to Science (Score:4, Funny)
I think we are more likely to be governed by these Three Laws:
1. A citizen may not criicize the government or, through inaction, allow the government to be criticized.
2. A citizen must obey orders given to it by the government, except where such orders would conflict with corporate profits.
3. A citizen must protect itself from unregulated media as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.
Parent
Before anyone asks.. (Score:5, Informative)
Why humanoid? (Score:4, Interesting)
I don't see the appeal to having a humanoid robot. The robots in Wall*e for example were all designed for a function.
I think of any robot as a machine. They are there to serve a purpose. Even the IVR systems make me angry when they imply "I'm sorry. I didn't get that". No, the computer didn't recognize what I said. And "you" aren't sorry.
Anthropomorphizing robots, cute as they are in Wall*e, is insulting to the beauty of that which is life.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Somewhere in my head I'm picturing you in some basement building some contraption and talking to it as if Dr Einstein.
Your zealousness is disconcerting. somewhere, in another time there is a small boy, and a machine and an angry mom pointing a rifle straight at your head.......
Re:Why humanoid? (Score:5, Funny)
Anthropomorphizing robots, cute as they are in Wall*e, is insulting to the beauty of that which is life.
That's only when the robots look like robots. When the robots look like hot chicks that are anatomically correct (if well-endowed), then it's a complement to the beauty that is life.
And by a complement, I mean that I want two of them. One to complement each arm.
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
FWIW, I'm not sure using them as arm-candy would be the best use. You wouldn't be utilizing the "anatomically correct" portion of the design, which means they'd be over-engineered for your intended purpose. :)
Personally, I'd like anatomically incorrect female robots. I don't want something that feels like the real thing, I want something that feels *better* than the real thing. But maybe that's just me.
Obligatory Futurama quote (Score:3, Funny)
Don't Date Robots!
Re:Why humanoid? (Score:4, Funny)
I don't see the appeal to having a humanoid robot.
Sex.
Anthropomorphizing robots, cute as they are in Wall*e, is insulting to the beauty of that which is life.
Anthropomorphizing robots is all about what my previous statement was about. Fuck the beauty of life, we're talking utilization here.
Parent
Re:Why humanoid? (Score:5, Funny)
"Fuck the beauty of life,"
I am intrigued by your ideas and wish to subscribe to your newsletter.
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
You are right that robots are built to serve a specific purpose, but keep in mind that most robotic functions are ones that were previously done by us humans. So it's quite possible that one day we will want a robot that performs some human task that requires human proportions, such as carrying our bags while at the same time navigating stairs and fitting through doorways or even into cars.
Of course, we could also want robots for companionship, in the same way people find comfort in pets. But in that case
Re:Why humanoid? (Score:5, Insightful)
Specialized robots are useless outside their function, and are thus just expensive deadweight when not in use. For example, a Roomba is great at vacuuming a floor, but when the floor is clean it can't do anything else. It can't carry boxes or wash dishes. You'd need additional robots for those specialized tasks, and they're going have the same "deadweight" problem as the Roomba too.
A humanoid robot would be able to do any physical job that a human could do. Such robots would be versatile enough to be useful all the time. A single humanoid robot vacuums the floor, then it carries boxes, and then washes dishes, and then etc etc etc. A humanoid robot would always be useful in some way, and thus more efficient in the long run.
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
I don't see the appeal to having a humanoid robot.
Because we want them to operate in a world that (1) humans are well adapted to and (2) that has in places been adapted to be specifically human-compatible.
Functional designs like the roomba are all very well, but can they ascend stairs? Operate a door handle? Press buttons positioned for humans to use? Pick up a variety of objects without needing special manipulators?
And that's just what you'd need for a robot to go to the coffee machine and bring me a coffee, stopping off at the mail room to get my mail.
No
Obligatory obscure Simpsons reference (Score:2)
The technical specs (yes, it runs linux) (Score:5, Informative)
For all the details, hit this PDF [arxiv.org]
NAOs head is equipped with an x86 AMD GEODE 500 MHz CPU motherboard with 256 Mb SDRAM. An additional 1Gb Flash memory is available. Communication with the robot is possible through WiFi 802.11g protocol and through Ethernet port. The CPU manages audio, video, and WiFi and other advanced modules. One ARM7-60MHz microcontroller located in the torso distributes information to all the actuator module microcontrollers (Microchip 16 bit dsPICS) through a RS485 bus (throughput of 460[Kbits=s]). There are two RS485 buses, one that connects the ARM7 microcontroller to the dsPICS modules of the upper part of the body, and the other that connects the ARM7 to the dsPICS modules of the lower part of the body. This bus partition permits to increase the data throughput.
The ARM-7 microcontroller communicates with the CPU board through a USB-2 bus with a theoretical throughput of 11[Mbits=s]. It can be used to control the robots stabilityusing the inertial unit. The operating system is based on Linux, but the whole system can be modified.
Sensors:
30 FPS CMOS videocamera 1
Gyrometer 2
Accelerometer 3
Magnetic rotary encoder (MRE) 34
FSR 8
Infrared sensor (emitter/receiver) 2
Ultrasonic sensor 2
Loudspeaker 2
Microphone 4
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
How humanoid is she? (Score:4, Funny)
Ok, this is quite unlike me but I clicked the link and... Terminator 0.0.1 (alpha) looks like a robotic clown. She has no breasts, looks like sh'e made of HARD plastic, and doubtless has no vagina.
I'm going to pay $15,000 for that? Come on, dude, I want one like Data's daughter! What are you guys smoking? Speaking of smoking, I can get a real twenty five year old human crack whore for twenty bucks.
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Well, you get what you pay for, I guess.
Skanky crack whore. $20, but nasty at any price.
Real doll. $6000, but really interactive.
Hard-plastic humanoid with no sexy bits. $15000.
Sentient, intelligent android with positronic brain and capacity to learn. Priceless.
Cheers
Too Short (Score:5, Insightful)
Description (Score:5, Funny)
FTA: "Initially, delivered with basic behaviors, the robot will be, at its market introduction, the ideal introduction to robots. Eventually, with many improved behaviors, it will become an autonomous family companion. Finally, with more sophisticated functions, it will adopt a new role, assisting with daily tasks (monitoring, etc.)"
Will, it, have, full, comma, functionality?
Boston Dynamics Big Dog is the best (Score:5, Interesting)
Why can't someone make a bipedal robot as impressive as bigdog?
Re:Boston Dynamics Big Dog is the best (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
Robo-clone (Score:3, Funny)
A humanoid robot that looked like me would be great, not just 'cos it looks like me (poor thing!), but I could send it to work and stay at home all day reading /.
Oh, hang on, I do that anyway. Oh well!
Emotions? (Score:3, Funny)
Am I missing the point here? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
It's mainly for researchers to devise the best techniques for a humanoid, and then apply them to the real world using "real" robots that are yet to come. Think about it, all of the flaws you mentioned are the same engineering challenges they need to meet in future robots. This robot is simply a cornerstone to get started thinking about those problem sets. The solutions start in research labs and makes their way to commercial applications slowly but surely. But this is almost always the first step. Robotics
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
This is Slashdot. People who are will to pay so much money (or at least, wish they had the money free) for a "very exp
Videos from RoboCup (Score:5, Informative)
The RoboCup 2008 world competition just finished in Suzhou, China -- new this year was a league where all the teams must use the Nao robots. The top two teams were from the University of Newcastle (Australia) and a combined Carnegie Mellon/Georgia Tech team. The final game was scoreless and decided by penalty kicks. Full results are here:
http://www.tzi.de/4legged/bin/view/Website/NaoResults2008 [www.tzi.de]
I wasn't at the competition but it's clear due to the scores that the league is still in its infancy, with scores being few and far between. As with any humanoid robot, falling over is a huge problem. I'm sure there will be some videos of the competition online once all the teams get home and have time to edit and upload them.
Here's a video of the robot walking, from the 2008 RoboCup US Open (where there was no competition but a couple small demos for the public.)
http://youtube.com/watch?v=N7USdkA0My8 [youtube.com]
This is disgraceful (Score:3, Funny)
Re:23 Inches (Score:4, Funny)
Whoever annotated the photo apparently felt obliged to graphically tie every feature to a part of the robot. So, in addition to the impressive 23" (which apparently ends mid-way down the thigh), the robot has emotions in its head, an embedded CPU in its mouth, and Linux in its belly.
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
A partnership is more likely next.
Roboticized "Real Dolls" for the lonly slashdotter in your life.
There are already a number of USB cybersex devices on the market right now.
Actually I think that a Roboticized "Real Doll" device would be of great benifit to those suffering from dementia, mental retardation, the infirm, and even for old or ugly people who may not have any other form of companionship.
Wasn't there some announced pilot study on the use of dolls for people with dementia a couple of year
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
I thought the same thing, relating it to patlabor. The main character's name is Nao also.
In the robot world this isn't really news so much as a press release. There are a lot of humanoid robots that one can purchase with similar feature sets. It's not going to change the landscape of robotics, but it is a cool tool/toy.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Why is it that when robots don't act like something out of a fantasy movie people are a little disappointed? Get a grip on reality man. There is obviously a huge disconnect between the reality of robotics and fantasy.
Think of it this way - you're wondering why you can't get the really slick aqua theme on your desktop when the people writing the actual software are still working on getting a working 3-color display!
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Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
If you have a job that can be replaced by a robot we can assume two things:
1. Its boring
2. Its going to be replaced by foreign labor anyways.
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
You can have her, I want the Jessica Albot.