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"Is
this a real cat?" A robot cat you can bond with like a real pet
-- NeCoRo is born
 October
16, 2001 -- Omron Corporation (President and CEO: Yoshio Tateisi,
Headquarters: Kyoto) will begin selling as a new product a cat type
communication robot from November 20. Orders can be placed at Takashimaya
(limited to 7 stores) starting October 17, and orders will be accepted
by phone or over the Internet from November 3. Available in two
colors, gray and brown, sales at this time will be restricted to
5,000 units.
Product
name: NeCoRo
Model: EPA-R01
Price (excluding tax): 185,000 yen (Approx. $1500 US)
Envisioning a society embodying a wide diversity of values, where
everyone can live comfortably at peace (what Omron calls the Optimization
Society), Omron sees the importance in the realization of a machine
that can communicate with humans and understand them. A machine
that is gentle to humans and responds appropriately to an individual's
needs. Natural communication between humans and machines is made
possible with the cat type communication robot NeCoRo.
Created with Omron's core sensing and control technology and artificial
intelligence technology, NeCoRo realizes natural human to robot
communication. Because of its ability to react to human movement
and express its own emotions, people pour their affection into this
robot and feel attached to it as they would a pet. By living with
each other day after day, the person becomes at ease with the robot
as it enriches the person's life.
NeCoRo, a robot with synthetic fur giving it a feline appearance,
introduces communication in the form of playful, natural exchanges
as between a person and a cat. Via internal sensors of touch, sound,
sight, and orientation, human action/thoughts can be perceived,
and feelings/wants are generated based on internal feelings. Using
15 actuators inside the body, it behaves in response to its feelings.
It will get angry if someone is violent to it, and express satisfaction
when stroked, cradled, and treated with lots of love. Based on its
own physiological rhythms, it will express its desire to sleep or
cuddle. Moreover, through a learning/growth function, while living
with each other day after day, the cat will become attached to its
owner and its personality will adjust to the owner. And as it begins
to remember the sound of the owner's voice and its own name, it
will recognize its name when called out by the owner.
| Characteristics |
| 1) |
Responds
to human movement/emotions |
| 2) |
Has
feelings and desires, and its personality will adjust to its
owner |
| 3) |
Remembers
its name and acknowledges its name when called |
| 4) |
Synthetic
fur gives it a feline appearance, so it feels natural to treat
it like a cat, stroking and hugging it
|
| Dimensions |
| Outer
dimensions |
: |
260mm
x 160mm x 320mm
(excluding tail) |
|
Weight |
: |
1.6 Kg
(when battery is inserted) |
| Fur
material |
: |
Acrylic
(gray or brown) |
|
| Sensing
and recognition |
| * |
Tactile
sensors are embedded in the head, chin and back, so
it can recognize stroking and patting |
| * |
A
microphone is in the head, so it can detect sound
and recognize the source of the sound |
| * |
As
it's name is called over and over it will remember its
name and react when called |
| * |
Within
its scope of vision, it can perceive the direction of
moving objects |
| * |
An
internal acceleration sensor allows it to know its position
when cradled or spun around |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Feeling
generation mechanism |
| * |
Equipped
with Omron's proprietary MaC (Mind and Consciousness)
technology, feelings are generated according to recognition
feedback, which is dependent on configurations based
on psychological concepts, leading to cognitive decisions
and actions determined by these feelings (applicable
patent acquired) |
| * |
Feelings
of satisfaction, anger, and uneasiness generated based
on recognition feedback |
| * |
Desires
to sleep or be cuddled generated according to physiological
rhythms |
| * |
Via
a learning function, personality traits such as selfishness
and the need for attention will change in response to
the owner |
| * |
Via
a growth function, expressive patterns in reaction to
the owner will increase |
|
|
|
|
|
|
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| Actuators |
4
legs (each with two degrees of freedom), tail with two degrees
of freedom, neck with two degrees of freedom, and eyelids,
ears, and a mouth each with one degree of freedom, for a total
of 15 degrees of freedom. Equipped with many movement patterns
and a voice speaker, 48 different cat sounds can be vocalized.
|
| Power
supply |
| * |
Replaceable nickel hydrogen battery (Ni-MH) |
| * |
Battery
is good for 1 hour and 30 minutes of operation (battery
is charged to full capacity in 2 hours) |
|
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|
|
| Accessories |
Battery
pack/special charger/instruction manual/ brush |
| Support
System |
| Home
page: |
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| http://www.necoro.com
On-line from the evening of October 16 |
|
| NeCoRo
Customer Center: |
|
| Handles
inquiries about the product -- Beginning October 17 |
|
| NeCoRo
Care Center: |
|
|
Provides information to customers -- Scheduled to open from
November 20 |
|
| Ordering
NeCoRo |
| From
October 17, 2001: |
Takashimaya
outlets
(Tokyo, Shinjuku, Yokohama, Tamagawa, Osaka, Kyoto, and JR
Nagoya) |
| From
November 3: |
| By
phone or through the web page (until November 18) |
| Product
Shipment |
| From
November 20, 2001 in sequence of orders |
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