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Flower Robots For Your Home
Posted by
timothy
on Fri Oct 17, 2008 02:00 AM
from the pretty-high-on-maslow's-hierarchy dept.
from the pretty-high-on-maslow's-hierarchy dept.
Roland Piquepaille writes "Flower robots are not new, and some have already been developed in the US. Now, South Korean researchers have created a robotic plant which acts like real ones. This robot has humidifying, oxygen-producing, aroma-emitting, and kinetic functions. It is about 1.30 meters tall and 40 centimeters in diameter. The robotic plant can interact with people when they approach, and it can 'dance' when music is played. The researchers don't say when a commercial version of their flowers will come to the market. They also don't mention a retail price."
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flower robot...hello fish (Score:4, Funny)
I suspect that it's a new way to sell us the kind of humidifier/sensitizers that you just plug.
On another hand that robotic flower who interacts and dance with people would just fit perfectly fine with my cluster of singing basses who are pinned on the wall "taake me to the river"...
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like real ones?... (Score:2)
I had another idea, we could conceal these things in some sort of an upright tube. When it detects someone nearby it would pop out and open it's big petals... Hmmm..
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What, you mean it turns brown and all the leaves fall off if you don't water it right?
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That's what all my plants do. I thought they were supposed to. They are just like cut flowers, but they last a few weeks longer, right? I love my golden bonsai!
Have you considered... (Score:2)
Cacti [wikipedia.org].
Re: (Score:2)
Killed a bunch of those on my balcony. They last a lot longer though.
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Feed Me! (Score:4, Funny)
" The robotic plant can interact with people when they approach, and it can 'dance' when music is played. "
Little shop of Horrors [imdb.com]
That's all well and good (Score:5, Funny)
But they forget to mention that they can walk by themselves and can spit poison that can blind a person.
Even better (Score:2)
You can get an electronic fish that turns its head outwards and wiggles on its trophy plaque while singing kitschy cover songs.
What is it with Asians and robots? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
"American universities and Japanese manufacturers have produced toy-like robot plants, but ours has various new kinetic and electronic functions," project leader Park Jong-oh said. "It's a fresh attempt to introduce the concept of plants, rather than humans or animals, to robot making." Seems admirable enough to me.
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I'm crossing my fingers and hoping they will never turn a planet [wikipedia.org] into a robot.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
I can't begin to guess about all "Asians" but I can see a few reasons why the Japanese in particular have taken to this trend.
For centuries, the Japanese mind has enjoyed consistency and fine craftsmanship. Kids have to write complicated kanji characters thousands of times to develop a consistency to it. Antique dolls made of wood with tiny clockwork cams have been built that can 'walk' into a room and serve you tea, or dip a brush into ink and do fine calligraphy. Attention to detail and exacting standa
philips light blossom? (Score:2, Interesting)
unAutotrophs (Score:5, Insightful)
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But, but, but ... they DANCE!
I wonder if they will be available in pink ...
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Re:unAutotrophs (Score:4, Funny)
> Maybe this robot will inspire people to go the extra step and get a real one...
Kinda like how the Sims helped me figure out where all the flies were coming from.
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
On the other hand, maybe these are (or could be) solar powered - handy for areas where water is in short supply.
Shame the article doesn't actually say more about how these things work.. do they require a water supply? Where does the moisture and oxygen they supposedly produce come from?
Even if they do require water, are they more or less water efficient than real plants? For example - when you water a real plant you can expect some of that water to simply evaporate before the plant gets to use any of it.. i
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Reading fails you.
Just like real plants, the robot emits oxygen, moisture, and aroma.
Its obvious! (Score:5, Insightful)
Why have a living, breathing flower in a pot when you can have a pretend one that wastes so much more energy? Who wouldn't want that?
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People who are allergic to real flowers, for one. Or people who think it's neat and fun, looks nice in their home, or just want to own one?
Really, the 'why have a real 'whatever' when you can you a pretend 'blablabla' argument, seemingly always in a 'I'm holier than thou' sort of way, is just tired and overused by now.
Some other examples I've seen before:
"Why have a real conversation, when you can just type messages on the internet? Is that so hard?"
"Why go outside and play with your friends, when you can h
Tentacle stems (Score:5, Funny)
why? (Score:4, Insightful)
gnaaaaaaaaargh... (Score:3, Funny)
please *sweat...
...must do it..
i, for one, welcome our new robotic overlords
ah, that was tough...
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
In South Korea, only old people welcome their new robotic overlords.
Where have all the robots gone? Girls have picked them every one. When will they ever learn? When will they ever learn?
What's in a name? That which we call a robot by any other name would smell as sweet.
Take time to smell the robots.
A robot is a robot is a robot.
She loves me. BZZZZT! She loves me not. HMMMMZZZ! She loves me. ZZZZ! <p
What do they run on? (Score:3, Interesting)
Do they also run on water and carbon dioxide?
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Sunlight, silly. In one way or another, it's all sunlight.
Next Step! (Score:4, Funny)
As interesting as watching grass grow (Score:2)
That concept sounds as interesting as watching grass grow. Maybe they are trying to put a new twist on robot wars with a match between the synthetic grass cluster and the Robo Mower.
In the other news... (Score:2)
Robot Rock (Score:5, Funny)
It behaves just like a real rock. It's really low on maintenance, is has solar cells to recharge itself, but it can last for months on a single charge. It is perfect for a hi-tech Japanese rock garden.
ps, I already filed the patent.
They have some weird plants there (Score:2)
And
What kind of plants do they keep around there! Do they also eat meat and sing like Levi Stubbs [imdb.com]?
Remember kids, never feed a plant that moves on its own and likes the
It's like "Catch" in the Wii (Score:4, Insightful)
Seriously, someone has actually created a game of catch on the Wii [wiifitforum.org].
He said it was because...
Simulated catch, robot dogs, and now robot plants.
At the risk of sounding all "get of my lawn", this kind of thing is pretty depressing.
Yes, yes... (Score:3, Funny)
It has humidifying, oxygen-producing, aroma-emitting, and kinetic functions.
But can it feel love and love you in return?
Hmmm... (Score:3, Insightful)
Do the robotic flowers absorb more CO2 and emit more oxygen than what is required to produce, power, and when they break down, recycle them ?
Didn't think so. I'll take real flowers, kthxbye.
Supersonic? (Score:3, Interesting)
From the article:
When a person comes within a 40 cm radius of the flower, its supersonic sensor perceives the approach, the stem bends towards the person, and the buds come into full bloom.
It can go supersonic within 40 cm? How about the buds come into full bloom and impale themselves in the approaching person?
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
And it further looks like the First Law of Robotics don't apply here!
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Troll ? Maybe, but check out this link http://slashdot.org/~rpiquepa [slashdot.org] and wonder for yourself if it is natural that somebody has all their submissions posted to the /. frontpage.
Not a single reject !
At the bottom "(Rejected submissions are not listed.)"
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The researchers don't say when a commercial version of their flowers will come to the market. They also don't mention a retail price.
They're available now, from £11.99 upwards.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=dancing+flower&tag=googhydr-21&index=aps&hvadid=689581509&ref=pd_sl_2h5hlp7cun_b [amazon.co.uk]
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You know what I hate? Those santa figures that start going "hohoho" if you go within about 30 feet of them. You know, it's a lucky thing halloween is when it is, or they'd have all the xmas tat in the stores already.
Feel free to mod me -1 bah humbug.
Re:First post? (Score:4, Interesting)
Don't you get it yet? The shopping season is all about taxes. You file your income taxes by april so the govt can count/collect it all by summer, then in winter they make up a holiday that convinces everyone to spend spend spend so they can collect tax revenues. It might be reversed for you Aussies, when do you pay taxes?
And did you notice that every store has a frickin holiday section now, it just goes xmas to valentines to easter to mothers day to dads and grads to cheap chinese summer toys to Halloween to thanksgiving and repeat.
And your last comment is the icing on the cake, the star on the xmas tree, the big box under the tree. You are actually feeling guilty for talking that way! You assume that everyone will negatively paint you a "Scrooge" if you don't participate in the scam. That's why it's such a great scam. And that is why even though people can't afford it and they really don't need it, they BUY it anyways, and the cycle continues.
I hate it, but I appreciate it for its elegance.
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Yeah, we have 2. 'Xmas in July' which is totally reserved for yuppies which you can catch in the wild in trendy places and then we have the one on the 25th of December when it's sweltering hot and most eat salads and prawns (erm shrimps - no one eats turkey by the way), while we watch the bushfires tearing through the countryside.
Take your pick. And we do our taxes in July and get refunds about 2 weeks later.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
I don't know about where you live, but in my area, the xmas crap is alongside the halloween crap.
Seriously, in the first week of October I was seeing retailers with both stuff on display. I remember when the Christmas stuff dutifully waited until after halloween -- I don't think that's the case
Re:The 80's called (Score:5, Funny)
Lies! You can KEEP them.
Sincerely,
The '80s
Parent
Re:oblig (Score:4, Funny)
Oh, come on! You're not even trying!
How about:
Why don't people take time to smell their new robotic overlords?
Parent