An AV equipment controller? Bipedal robot [J4] Robotics / Victor/JVC Posted by sar7501 on Oct 07, 2004 - 07:06 AM |
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JVC is demonstrating a small bipedal robot called J4 at CEATEC JAPAN 2004. "So what?", you say, "small bipedal robots are a dime-a-dozen these days." Well, J4 is no ordinary robot - JVC plans to use him (or her, I suppose - whatever takes your fancy) to make operation of complex AV systems easier for users. And that's not all! - J4 can also do the "Hustle! Hustle!" Japan Victor Corporation (JVC) is demonstrating a bipedal robot [J4] (codename) at its booth at CEATEC JAPAN 2004. J4 is a 200 mm tall, 770g small robot with 26 degrees-of-freedom in its arms and legs.  Caption: JVC's bipedal robot, J4. The name, J4, is apparently a combination of the "J" from JVC and the "4" from 2004.  Caption: J4 being demonstrated. Movement is smooth and the robot walks and greets with little effort. It can also perform the "Hustle! Hustle!" - something sure to delight pro-wrestling fans (see bottom of article). J4 is controlled via Bluetooth. A camera is also mounted in J4's head and, in the future, it is planned to allow a user to view the camera images from a PC. "J4 is being developed with an emphasis on communication abilities. The operation of AV equipment has become more complicated and difficult to understand, right? J4 will allow users to quickly understand the state of a AV system (by viewing J4's actions). " said a spokesman for JVC. The spokesman wouldn't provide further details but it looks like J4 will be able to become part of an AV network and perform some sort of useful function for the user. With the operation of AV equipment becoming more complex as functionality is added, and the number of remote controls at our disposal increasing every time we buy a new piece of equipment, I'm sure there are a lot of people having a hard time. At these times, a robot to lend a helping hand would be very convenient. Although it 's unclear when commercialisation will occur, "practical use is still a little way away" (JVC).  Caption: Demonstration over, J4 gestures to the attendant to pick him up - "Hug me!".  Caption: "Banzai!" - a happy J4 Inspired by: http://www.itmedia.co.jp/lifestyle/articles/0410/06/news054.html Note: The "Hustle! Hustle!" is a move popularised by pro-wrestler, Naoya Ogawa. See the following links for more info: http://www.jvcmusic.co.jp/hustle/ [1] http://www.nikkansports.com/ns/entertainment/interview/2004/sun040808-2.jpg [2] |
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This article is from TechJapan http://www.techjapan.com/ The URL for this story is: http://www.techjapan.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=561 Links in this article [1] http://www.jvcmusic.co.jp/hustle/ [2] http://www.nikkansports.com/ns/entertainment/interview/2004/sun040808-2.jpg |
