Wakamaru News Roundup

Posted 24 Apr 2003 at 14:16 UTC by steve

Ever since Robodex, Mitsubishi's Wakamaru service robot has been getting a lot of press. Like most new robots these days, Wakamaru runs Linux but unlike most, it's not a biped and not expensive. Wakamaru looks like a cross between a Dalek, a traffic cone, and a duck. The purchase price is about $14,000, which is cheap by Japanese robot standards. While name may sound like it came from down under, it is actually derived from a mythical Japanese Warrior (note the two spots on his head, just like the robot). Stories on the Wakamaru have appeared in Wired, Linux Weekly News, Captain Japan, LinuxDevices.com, Extreme Tech, and The Age.

Home robots, posted 24 Apr 2003 at 22:11 UTC by motters » (Master)

The appearance of robots like these is encouraging, but the "home robot" concept is still in its infancy and these types of device are still much too expensive and have only rather limited abilities.

At $14000 its unlikely to be a mass market product. It's likely to be the plaything of wealthy individuals or research departments.

There are also possible security issues with teleoperating such robots in the home via the internet. The manufacturers will need to ensure that only those with appropriate passwords can use the robot. If a telerobot like this was hacked and used for maliceous purposes there could be a backlash which would effectively put a stop to a new industry.