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http://news.google.com/url?ntc=04SC...home_asia/newswire/2004/03/11/rtr1294576.html
TOKYO, March 11 (Reuters) - It might not be cute and cuddly like Sony's mechanical dog, Aibo, or a hula dancer like Honda's humanoid, Asimo, but Toyota's yet-to-be-named robot is not afraid to blow its own horn.
Toyota Motor Corp <7203.T> on Thursday unveiled two robots -- one with legs and the other with wheels -- that it is developing for Expo 2005, to be held in central Japan next March. It showed video of a third machine that could one day rival the wheelchair.
A 1.2 metre (four foot) high droid wowed a group of journalists by playing a trumpet version of "When you wish upon a star" and the theme song from a popular Japanese comedy show.
Toyota, the world's second-biggest auto maker, said it had no definite plans on how it would commercialise the robots, but said developing the technology helped other aspects of its business.
"This technology can be used in many situations. It can enhance safety. There are still some jobs that we don't want humans doing, but maybe we can now change that," Toyota President Fujio Cho told a news conference. Honda Motor Co Ltd's <7267.T> robot, Asimo, can walk forward and backward, climb stairs and even hula dance. Honda said it did not have any immediate plans to sell Asimo, but the droid is available on a rental basis.
Sony Corp's <6758.T> robot ventures have been a bigger commercial success. Aibo, the company's robot dog, sold out in stores when it debuted in 1999 and still maintains a strong following.
Toyota showed off three different types of robot.
One is a "walking" type that Toyota said could be used to assist the elderly. Another is a "rolling" type that may be well suited for the factory floor, the auto maker said.
The third model is a "mountable" type that can carry passengers using two mechanical legs. It uses a hand-operated lever for steering.
Asked by reporters why the droids didn't have names, a Toyota executive in charge of the robots' development said it was taking suggestions and joked that they might be called "Fujio" and "Shoichiro", the first names of Toyota's current president and a former president, Shoichiro Toyoda.
Toyota said that while it had been developing robots for only two and a half years, most of the technology derived from its automation equipment used at its car factories.
TOKYO, March 11 (Reuters) - It might not be cute and cuddly like Sony's mechanical dog, Aibo, or a hula dancer like Honda's humanoid, Asimo, but Toyota's yet-to-be-named robot is not afraid to blow its own horn.
Toyota Motor Corp <7203.T> on Thursday unveiled two robots -- one with legs and the other with wheels -- that it is developing for Expo 2005, to be held in central Japan next March. It showed video of a third machine that could one day rival the wheelchair.
A 1.2 metre (four foot) high droid wowed a group of journalists by playing a trumpet version of "When you wish upon a star" and the theme song from a popular Japanese comedy show.
Toyota, the world's second-biggest auto maker, said it had no definite plans on how it would commercialise the robots, but said developing the technology helped other aspects of its business.
"This technology can be used in many situations. It can enhance safety. There are still some jobs that we don't want humans doing, but maybe we can now change that," Toyota President Fujio Cho told a news conference. Honda Motor Co Ltd's <7267.T> robot, Asimo, can walk forward and backward, climb stairs and even hula dance. Honda said it did not have any immediate plans to sell Asimo, but the droid is available on a rental basis.
Sony Corp's <6758.T> robot ventures have been a bigger commercial success. Aibo, the company's robot dog, sold out in stores when it debuted in 1999 and still maintains a strong following.
Toyota showed off three different types of robot.
One is a "walking" type that Toyota said could be used to assist the elderly. Another is a "rolling" type that may be well suited for the factory floor, the auto maker said.
The third model is a "mountable" type that can carry passengers using two mechanical legs. It uses a hand-operated lever for steering.
Asked by reporters why the droids didn't have names, a Toyota executive in charge of the robots' development said it was taking suggestions and joked that they might be called "Fujio" and "Shoichiro", the first names of Toyota's current president and a former president, Shoichiro Toyoda.
Toyota said that while it had been developing robots for only two and a half years, most of the technology derived from its automation equipment used at its car factories.
