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'."

..services..

[gl4ss]

"Mitsubishi says it has tried to create a robot that can sustain meaningful relationships with human beings, initiating conversations with family members and offering services such as alarm, news, weather, and email dictation. The device can look after the house, provide video streams over cellular networks, and cull useful information over the Internet, while maintaining its own autonomous "rhythm of life," the company says"

so.. what good is that the product is a 'robot' instead of being a program sold to run on your already existing computers?

Batteries not included?

[fm2503]

"Wakamaru's claimed battery life is two hours, after which the robot returns to its charging station before power fails completely." Hmmm - I hope it knows how far it is back to the charging base......

Strange requirement in FAQ

[LiquidCoooled]

I just went through to the proper homepage and read the FAQ.

One of the questions is:

Do I need to sign up with an Internet provider to use "wakamaru"?

A "wakamaru" needs a continuous broadband connection, but if you don't have your own provider, when you purchase "wakamaru" it may be possible to have Internet service included.


Why would it need a broadband connection?

Apart from anything, it connects during its charging sessions, but just what information could it need?