Toyota unveiled the two newest members of its 'partner robot' family: the wheeled Mobina (left) and an unnamed violin-wielding robot (centre). Joining them on stage was the three-fingered, hand-holding Robina, which the Associated Press says has been working at the company's headquarters since earlier this year. The gentleman in the black business suit is Katsuaki Watanabe, president of Toyota Motor.
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In Japan, government agencies and industrial giants are keen on incorporating robots into households and offices as practical helpmates to people, carrying out everyday chores and providing assistance to elderly citizens and others. Mobina, for instance, could carry you, or if you prefer to walk, it could tag along and function as a porter. Toyota expects to get going with a trial program for the 150-kilogram mobility robot in the second half of 2008.
This isn't Toyota's first foray into robots as conveyances. In fact, the automaker-and-then-some has come up with a string of such devices in recent years, from the three-wheeled i-Real to the two-legged i-Foot. Rival carmaker Honda, of course, hasn't been at all shy about touting its own humanoid robot, Asimo.
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It's unclear how much fun a Mobina drag race would be -- the robot tops out at six kilometres per hour. On the other hand, it can negotiate rough ground and can even handle steps because the left and right wheels are capable of independent vertical movement. It can travel about 20 kilometres on a one-hour battery charge.
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The violin-playing robot has a total of 17 joints in both of its hands and arms and, Toyota claims, can attain 'humanlike dexterity'. (A couple years back, the company introduced a trumpet-playing robot.) The 56-kilogram machine performed Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance, but the company really is grooming it for domestic duties, nursing and medical care.
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With its three fingers, the wheeled Robina does a pretty good imitation of the Vulcan greeting. Or is that the classic 'rock on!' salute? On a more utilitarian level, Toyota is looking ahead to practical uses for its partner robots by the early 2010s.
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Robina signs an autograph.
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