Sony QRIO - amazing
10th September 2004 by Simon
I went to the Sony Professional Press launch at IBC Thursday evening in the Maritime Museum. As well as it being a very enjoyable event with some interesting people at it, I got to go backstage and hold the Sony QRIO, one of only 100 in existence. It had previously wowed the audience by performing a number of routines - the people really were transfixed.
It’s really pretty heavy, 7 Kg, even without the battery, which makes it all the more amazing that it can move in such a smooth, graceful manner. Moving the joints of it (legs, arms and even each of its multi-jointed fingers) you can feel the tiny gradations as the motors move.
Nicholas Babin has been looking after the project, in his role as President of Sony Entertainment Robots Europe, since Aibo first came to Europe in its second generation form. He tells me the results of the very sizable investment (undisclosed) that Sony has made in QRIO are starting to become useful in some of their forthcoming products, which use Artificial Intelligence (AI). We will be going into the details of these audio and TV-related research projects at Digital Lifestyles.
The head of it is the most sensitive component, as it contains the two camera that enable QRIO’s all-important stereo vision. QRIO understands this and does everything it can to protect it. In the rare times that it does feel itself moving to a fall, it moves very quickly to shift its weight to correct it. If the needed correction is too large it will then move to fall on its arms, thus protecting its head.
Interestingly, when they’re doing demonstrations, they have found that the AI in QRIO is so strong that if you haven’t been friendly with it before hand, for examples, by not kicking back a football it kicks to you, it will refuse to do what you ask it in the demonstration. Effectively it is expressing its annoyance.
I felt a bit foolish asking to have my photo taken with it, and the photo certainly doesn’t flatter, but when would I get another chance?
A big thanks to Yolanda Hunt-Boes at Sony Berlin for sorting it out.
- Possibly related posts -
- SDR-4X Sony Robot video
- Sony new PDA’s
- PS2 down in the US
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sir i am fan of yours robots,i am 18 yrs old,my interest is also to make robots but i dont known from where i start.please give me some tips to make mini robots at home i chip prise and less materials use.
THANK YOU
I don’t have any direct knowledge of building robots I’m sorry to say. Perhaps others reading this could give some pointers.
As robotics no doubt will be the next growing field for the next generation and applications will grow exponentioally. where do I buy stock….lol..
( seriously )
Interesting thinking. Do you have some insight into companies working in this area - beyond Sony using it (mostly) for PR and Roomba?
i want 1 QRIO =’( its relly amazing and i like =(
where can i get a sony qrio
Would be great to have one wouldn’t it, but Sony say they’ll never sell it as it cost too much to develop. Yes - I’ve persistently asked and they won’t disclose how much it cost.
I guess the closest you’ll get is the Aibo.
hi, i would like to buy qrio. do you know when it will be coming out in the market.
salim - There’s many people that share that thought. Sony’s official line has always been that it wouldn’t sell it, as it was so expensive to develop. The closest you get is their Aibo.
i herd they they gave an estamate of about the same cost as a new BMW. i know you cant buy them, but do you think if enough people found out and inquired about getting one, they might re-think their opinion on not selling them. i mean the technology is there to make them and they have made a select few, you would think they would allow a low amount to the public. i know some people who would consider paying a pretty high price for one of those.
Now they’ve discontinued even the Aibo, perhaps Sony might open source QRIO - it would make them a lot of friends … ones that they’ve been losing by the bucketload over the last 18-24 months.