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March 20, 2007
Chapit Can Automate Your Life
Aww, isn't he precious? That's Chapit, designed by Japanese robotics company Raytron. Chapit was recently on exhibition at the Napia Nakanoshima housing project. The project demonstrates how future homes in Japan will all be digitally connected with Chapit functioning as the conduit between house and human. Think of Chapit as a precursor to HAL before he went bad.
Some of the things Chapit can do are waking you, answering and redirecting phone calls, control lighting and thermostats, sync with your computer and act as a media server, control home appliances and electronics. You interact with Chapit by speaking to him in a natural tone. He currently only understands about 100 words but he's designed to learn. Raytron believes Chapit is capable of learning 10,000 words given the time.
In addition to verbal communication, Chapit uses flashing lights and body movements to convey emotion. If you're unhappy, he's unhappy and which point he'll try to cheer you up. Maybe put on some music and dim the lights, turn on the T.V. to your favorite evening program. If that sleek white body is too . . . well, sleek for you. Don't worry, Chapit has clothing options for you to outfit him in.
I personally think he looks like a page torn right out of Sega's Super Monkey Ball, but who am I to judge a robot that can literally control my life. He does however have a bizarre baby-like speaking voice.
Raytron hopes Chapit will be in stores by 2008 for 200,000 YEN ($1944). I'm even tempted to bequeath him the QRIO we can actually afford. Home automation or path to human enslavement? You decide.
Check out video of Chapit in action after the jump.
Posted by tranism at 5:50 PM | Permalink
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Comments
sometimes I really am sad that I'm not japanese
Posted by: bob at March 20, 2007 10:32 PM
I've decided, I want one if it just could do video-games.
Posted by: Cruds at March 21, 2007 1:32 AM
it'll take awhile before the stork drops that li'l babe off on hang's shores... and i total missed the Aibo bus... maybe i'll default to a Furby.
Posted by: A.J. at March 21, 2007 6:16 AM
to me it is just another version of the french Anabaztag -rabbit in
armenian-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nabaztag
But i agree it is cute!
Posted by: cati at March 25, 2007 12:49 PM
Wow, it's a 2000 dollar Furby.
Posted by: David at March 31, 2007 4:59 PM
Ok, that's it. I'm moving to Japan.
Posted by: Sammiy at December 27, 2007 1:29 PM