Bandai and Evolution Robotics Partner on Breakthrough Telepresence Robot.Powerful Technology at Low Cost Ushers in New Generation of Robots for Consumers PASADENA, Calif. -- Bandai, one of the world's largest toy companies, and Evolution Robotics, the leading provider of breakthrough robotic technologies for consumer products, today announced the release of a new home telepresence Meaning "long distance presence," it refers to videoconferencing applications that feel like a live meeting. Notable features are larger screens that may approach a virtual reality environment and sensors that keep at least one window focused on whomever is speaking at the moment. robot powered by Evolution Robotics' ViPR[R] visual pattern recognition technology. Bandai's "NetTansor[TM]" is a compact but powerful mobile robot A Mobile Robot is an automatic machine that is capable of movement in a given environment. Overview Mobile robots have the capability to move around in their environment and are not fixed to one physical location. designed for families and hobbyists. It comes as part of a complete kit that features an onboard Refers to a chip or other hardware component that is directly attached to the printed circuit board (motherboard). Contrast with offboard. See inboard. camera, a wireless network connection, Evolution Robotics' intelligent vision system and easy-to-use software for the PC. Users can access NetTansor remotely from the Internet, drive it around their home to check on pets while away on vacation, or even create programs for NetTansor to run entirely on its own, such as having NetTansor patrol their house and automatically send pictures to their mobile phone based on what it sees. Bandai selected the ViPR vision system from Evolution Robotics to enable NetTansor to interact intelligently with its environment and perform fully autonomous tasks. With ViPR, NetTansor can recognize and respond to what it sees, from everyday objects and images to even specific locations in the home. As just one example, a parent can program NetTansor to recognize when it is in the kitchen and play a personal voice message if it sees a child with a box of cookies before dinner. "By partnering with Evolution Robotics and having access to their technologies, we were able to provide NetTansor with extremely unique and powerful interactive capabilities," said Mr. Yoshinori Haga, General Manager for Bandai Robot Laboratory. "We are very eager to see all of the applications our customers dream up." "The NetTansor is an excellent example of how fast the consumer robotics market is advancing," said Paolo Pirjanian, CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. of Evolution Robotics. "We see a growing demand for innovative solutions like ViPR that enable companies like Bandai, WowWee and Sharper Image to deliver breakthrough new products at consumer-friendly prices." According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Pirjanian, addressing both technology and cost considerations is critical to supporting the growth of robotics in the consumer market. To meet this need, Evolution Robotics focuses on developing powerful solutions at extremely low costs in key areas such as vision, navigation and intelligence. These solutions enable partners like Bandai to make their products much smarter, while at the same time keeping their prices very attractive to consumers. "For NetTansor our ViPR vision solution provides the 'smarts of the robot' and gives it the ability to intelligently understand and react to what it sees. Just as important, ViPR is implemented in a way that adds minimal extra cost to the product. The net result is a great product from Bandai that provides a very high bang-for-the-buck for the end-consumer." Evolution Robotics employs this approach across a range of technologies and product categories, from vision solutions for mobile phones and interactive toys to navigation systems A GPS-based electronic system in a car or truck that provides a real time map of the vehicle's current location as well as step-by-step directions to a programmed destination. See GPS and vehicle tracking. for smarter robotic vacuum cleaners vacuum cleaner, mechanical device using a draft of air to remove dust, loose dirt, or other particulate matter from dry surfaces. It is especially useful on highly textured surfaces, such as carpets and upholstery, that are difficult to clean by wiping or brushing. . "Our long term goal is to be the Intel of robotics, making the key components that enable a variety of increasingly intelligent products," said Pirjanian. Standing at 12 inches tall, NetTansor features a three-wheel driving base, integrated video camera, microphone and speaker, along with a built-in wireless card and antenna. When connected to the Internet through a standard home wireless network, users can remotely access the NetTansor from any computer on the web. User-friendly software powered by the ViPR vision system lets hobbyists and families create their own programs for NetTansor for a broad range of purposes, from practical to pure fun. Examples include programming NetTansor to automatically take and send a picture each time the robot drives by a pet's bowl to show how much food is left, creating a flash card game to help a student practice his/her vocabulary skills, or having NetTansor dance and play a song each time a child holds up one of the picture command cards included with the kit. Bandai will begin taking orders for the NetTansor robot kit A robot kit is a special construction kit for building robots, especially autonomous mobile robots. Toy robot kits are also supplied by several companies. They are mostly made of plastics elements like Lego Mindstorms and the Robotis Bioloid, or aluminium elements like for sale in Japan on December 16, 2006. The complete kit will sell for roughly $415. (US$) About Bandai Robot Laboratory Bandai Robot Laboratory is a project team in Bandai Corp specializing in robotics development and research. The theme of this project team is "Friendly robotics Friendly Robotics is an Israeli company selling RoboMower, an autonomous lawn mower, and Friendly Vac, a vacuum cleaner robot. History The company was created in 1995 by Udi Peless and Shai Abramson and concentrate on developing robots that can automate tasks that require " and is aimed at developing robots that can have true partnership with people. Bandai Robot Laboratory is focused on the robotics deployment in the entertainment field like the robot kit "TansorBorg," and also on various activities to promote and enlighten en·light·en tr.v. en·light·ened, en·light·en·ing, en·light·ens 1. To give spiritual or intellectual insight to: robotics technology and products for the further growth of robotics in future. About Evolution Robotics, Inc. Evolution Robotics (www.evolution.com) partners with brand leaders to make their products smarter by providing solutions for vision, autonomous navigation and intelligence. Evolution Robotics' mission is to make everyday products smarter through innovation in visual pattern recognition and robotics. The company's technology platform includes ERSP ERSP Electronic Retailing Self-Regulation Program ERSP Ente Regulador de los Servicios Públicos ERSP Evolution Robotics Software Platform ERSP Espace Régional de Santé Publique ERSP Eesti Rahvusliku Sõltumatuse Partei ERSP Edinburgh Ras Shamra Project [R], the standard Robotics Operating System operating system (OS) Software that controls the operation of a computer, directs the input and output of data, keeps track of files, and controls the processing of computer programs. , ViPR[R], the gold standard in visual pattern recognition and NorthStar[R], the world's lowest cost localization Customizing software and documentation for a particular country. It includes the translation of menus and messages into the native spoken language as well as changes in the user interface to accommodate different alphabets and culture. See internationalization and l10n. system for autonomous navigation. Evolution Robotics has provided unique and differentiating functions for products such as robotic toys, robotic vacuum cleaning products and educational robots. The company also develops visual search engine technologies and partners with mobile service companies to develop mobile marketing and mobile commerce applications for camera phones. Additionally, the company markets LaneHawk[TM], a loss-prevention solution for retailers that reduces inventory shrinkage Shrinkage The amount by which inventory on hand is shorter than the amount of inventory recorded. Notes: The missing inventory could be due to theft, damage, or book keeping errors. through Evolution Robotics Retail, a subsidiary company. Evolution Robotics is an operating company operating company A business that engages in transactions with outsiders. of Idealab, a creator and operator of technology businesses. All trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners. [c]2006 All rights reserved. |
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