In cooperation with Toyota, the Information and Robot Technology Research Initiative, a research body of prestigious University of Tokyo, has developed a robot that handles household chores [JP, PDF]. The humanoid was demonstrated to Japanese media last week and was able to clean up rooms, put away dishes from tables, open and close doors and do the laundry.
The so-called “Home Assistant Robot” stands 155cm and weighs 130kg. Moving on two wheels, the prototype is equipped with two arms (the hands have 3 fingers each), five mini cameras and six laser sensors. Its neck and head can be moved in 3 differenct directions, the lower body in two, the arms in seven each and the fingers in two.
The robot, which the researchers involved in the development say can “learn” from mistakes it makes, can be operated for 30-60 minutes with one battery charge.
Toyota and the University of Tokyo hope to commercialize the humanoid within the next ten years, aiming for a price tag of around $10,000.
Via Asahi [JP]
