Linux-Powered Humanoid Robot on Sale Friday

An anonymous reader writes "LinuxDevices is reporting that a run of 100 Linux-powered humanoid robots goes on sale this Friday in Japan. From the article: 'priced at 1.5M Yen (about $14,000), not including 10,000 Yen (~$90) monthly service fees. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries conceived of Wakamuru as a pleasant companion offering a range of electronic-age valet services'."

cliche explosion

[banana fiend]

between beowulf clusters and robot overlords, how is a troll to control him(her)self?

Great!

[jkrise]

I'll now buy about a 100 of them to stop my Windows-powered spybots...

Ah but the question is....

[Anonymous Coward]

Do they have boobies?

what?

don't look at me like that!

Oh, Belgium!

[Willeh]

1,5M Yen and it still can't climb stairs. Sure is cheaper than a Dalek though, and (hopefully) with less genocidal tendencies.

Maid services

[cswinter]

I see it provides valet services. How long before some lonely Linux geek programmes it to provide 'maid' services?

Re:Batteries not included?

[LiquidCoooled]

I'm not concerned that it might not find its way back to its charging station, but would be worried if it misidentifies it and attempts to "plug in".

Warning: Don't ever turn your back to this robot.

Re:Oh, Belgium!

[Bushcat]

So you're saying if the Dalek were cheaper, you'd have no problem sharing your house with a genocidal pepperpot?

Humanoid robot

[Underholdning]

"Wakamaru's claimed battery life is two hours, after which the robot returns to its charging station before power fails completely. It maintains Internet access and communications capabilities while charging, Mitsubishi says."

Man - they managed to make this robot resemble a geek real good. And even improving the standard geek. I mean - mainitaining internet access while you sleep? Man - I'm so there!

Re:Maid services

[Anonymous Coward]

Would a beowulf cluster of them constitute an orgy?

Great, but does it run,

[Andy Gardner]

Oh wait...

In soviet russia....

[MetaMarty]

linux powered robots sell you!!

Linux-Powered

[weicco]

Does it dump core? And how about panicing?

Re:Strange requirement in FAQ

[Anonymous Coward]

Shoving is the answer. Do not listen to the pusher robot, he is inferior.

Should have used BSD....

[Slashcrap]

...like I am for my robot project.

Basically, I have grown sick of the whole "BSD is dying" "Oh no it isn't!" arguments and have decided to settle the matter once and for all.

As such, I am currently completing the construction of a 200 foot tall killer robot equipped with nuclear tipped missiles, dual chainsaw attachments and the obligatory friggin' laser beams coming out if its head.

Once finished, I am going to set it to work tracking down every last BSD developer on the planet and executing them in a variety of colourful ways (starting with that asshole Theo of course). When the project is complete, we will all know that BSD is in fact dead.

So why not use Linux I hear you ask? Simple - it's the GPL licence. Obviously my robot requires a lot of proprietary code - device drivers for the death rays and odour recognition software (I figure this is the easiest way to track down open source programmers) to name but two.

If I had chosen the GPL, I would be forced to release this code back to the community. And then it's just a matter of time before some gawky twat with an Apple Newton somehow uploads a virus and foils my plans. The BSD licence enables me to keep this code secret which I'm sure you'll agree is a huge benefit to my project.

Hooray for BSD! Goodbye karma!

Re: I don't know...

[slashmojo]

Its wearing a skirt you insensitive clod! ;)

Re:Oh, Belgium!

[indifferent children]

Don't criticize this thing until you Wakamaru in its shoes.

Re:..services..

[Anonymous Coward]

does it bother anybody else that it's Mitsubishi *heavy* industries that's building this?

it's like, the next step is going to be giant mechs to invade other countries with

Re:Strange requirement in FAQ

[Trayde]

It needs a broadband connection to get it's daily updates from USR.

You will be caught completely unaware by the army of yellow daleks controlled by VIKI.

Wakes you up and has schedule reminders

[chh1]

Wouldn't it be easier, and cheaper, to buy a dog and tape your schedule to it?

Enter the Litrix

[Teresh]

This is bad. This is very bad. Computers and robots will soon join together and take over the world.

And since it's Linux we can't deactivate them with BSOD.

Am I the only one that thinks we should prepare for the coming of our new robot masters?

And no terrible actors whose initials are K. R. wearing sunglasses will save us this time.

Re:Maid services

[zaguar]

And a geek would know that?

...considers...

You must be new here

Why humanoid?

[Tonik, the]

They got the dimensions and colors about right, but the should've made it a penguin

British region settings

[nounderscores]

"What?"
"I don't understand!"
"Where's the tea?"

OSS robot

[MECC]

Humanoid with open sores....

Re:cliche explosion

[Intron]

In Japan ... oh, wait.

Re:Linux-Powered

[Anonymous Coward]

Does it dump core? And how about panicing?

No, but you can download Lucy Lu image onto it from Napster ...

Klatu... Verata... umm.. (cough cough )

[scovetta]

Ok so my questions:
* how usable are those mitten-like hand things? can it fetch me a beer from the fridge? or just order a beer online to be delivered?
* does it include a Roomba [irobot.com]? If it's going to be rolling around my apartment anyway...
* with a 10,000 word vocabulary, what kind of conversation can you have with it? i'm imagning a weird sort of Japanese "Eliza" (Eriza?). "Why do you think it is imporant to wake up at 6:00?"

Re:..services..

[ArsonSmith]

"The chastity belt"
My sex not yours

"The nuclear bomb"
creates less compitition for sex

"The cotton gin"
More time for sex, less cotton picking.

"The electric light"
How about the first red light?

"The electric can-opener"
required to get food and then sleep after sex

"Deviled eggs"
If you don't see the sexual connection there is something wrong with you.

Re:..services..

[the real darkskye]

I think your slightly off, because it's not that the goal of the technology is sex -- it's that someone will find a way to adapt any technology to sex. (Although I'm not so sure about the electric can-opener).

I'm sure that combining it with the chastity belt would be a good place to start ...

abilities

[Savantissimo]

Hire a four-year old. Cheaper, smarter, cuter, much better conversation, can climb stairs and can actually do the things that Mitsubishi claims for the robot plus much more.