Author Archives: Ogen

Middle managers replaced by robots by 2051

But will anyone notice the difference?

Tuesday 16th October 2001 1:45pm

Offices will disappear and robots will replace middle-managers within the next 50 years.

The prediction comes from the entry that won the ’50 Years of Business Computing’ competition organised by the National Computing Centre.

In her study, amateur futurologist Chandra Amaravadi, a researcher at Western Illinois University, predicts the impact IT might have on people’s ‘working and personal lives over the next five decades.

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Ananova – Fur-covered cat robot promises to be a real pet

Story filed: 13:37 Tuesday 16th October 2001

Omron has developed a fur-covered cat robot imbued with artificial intelligence.

The makers say it can recognise its own name and develop a unique character.

NeCoRo will cost about £1,050 when it launches in Japan next month.

There are no plans so far to sell NeCoRo overseas. The initial sale, which begins on November 20, has been limited to just 5,000 units.

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ABCNEWS.com : A Cat That Doesn’t Need a Litter Box

A Japanese Company Creates a Robotic Cat

By Edmund Klamann

T O K Y O, Oct. 16 — Japan’s biggest toymaker pioneered the world’s first virtual pet, the Tamagotchi, and the nation’s most famous electronics maker rolled out the No. 1 robot dog, Aibo.

Now one of its biggest makers of automated factory systems, Omron Corp, has weighed in with a robot cat: NeCoRo.

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For Japanese Cat-Lovers Only

Only 5,000 of the acrylic-furred felines will be up for sale, and only in Japan, with a retail list price of 185,000 yen ($1,530) each.

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PCWorld.com – Bluetooth Robots to the Rescue

Kuriko Miyake, IDG News Service

Tuesday, October 09, 2001

“Morph“, a 13.6-inch tall wireless humanoid device, could be used as part of recovery missions in disaster areas.

A project team sponsored by the Japanese government has joined electronic component maker Murata Manufacturing in developing what the company claims to be the world’s first Bluetooth-enabled humanoid robot.

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The 13.6-inch tall “Morph” is primarily a product of the government-sponsored Kitatno Symbiotic Systems Project, one of Japan’s leading humanoid robot developers. Morph is the team’s basic robot platform for human-movement reproduction.

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Ananova – Dancing robot set to star in pop video

Story filed: 17:24 Friday 21st September 2001

A dancing Japanese robot is set to star in the video for Number One by dance artist Playgroup.

Playgroup supremo Trevor Jackson is better known for his remix work for artists like Massive Attack as The Underdog.

Number One is released on October 29 through Source.

The video for Number One has been directed by H5 whose credits include Juxtaposed by the Super Furry Animals and will be released in October.

The prototype Atuko Super Technical Action Robot will not be released in the UK until the end of the year.

There will only be 100 made at a cost of £15,000 each.

Robots aid New York rescue workers

BBC News | SCI/TECH

Monday, 17 September, 2001, 15:20 GMT 16:20 UK

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Three small experimental robots are being lowered into gaps between collapsed buildings to assist in the recovery of bodies.

The robots carry cameras and specialised sensors that can detect body heat or coloured clothing amid the grey dust that coats the debris.

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