http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dJOAf2Dt98&feature=player_embedde
Robo-media darling Hiroshi Ishiguro recently held a press conference in Osaka demonstrating his latest android, aptly named Geminoid F. As Japan’s population ages there is great concern over who is going to care for the elderly. One proposed approach that has garnered considerable public attention is to create robots that can provide companionship and care for seniors. To this end, Ishiguro has listed the price for the Geminoid F model at 10 million yen or $110,000 USD.
Keep in mind that the proposed utility for Geminoid F doesn’t account for the lucrative otaku market.
Reporting robot news from Japan is about as routine as reporting on weather these days. Yet, Japan has taken another step forward in making robots appear more life like, and dare we say even a little bit human. Despite the media saturation, you can’t help but feel a sense of inspired awe seeing how these androids evolve. Now more than ever we find ourselves scratching our heads trying to make sense of ancient aesthetic questions regarding life imitating art.
While Geminoid F still obviously looks and behaves like a machine, its clear that this path is evolutionary. Subsequent releases and upgrades of the prototype will likely continue. Just how this evolution will incorporate machine intelligence, and possibly ignite debate on the subject of Turing consciousness could pose challenging questions. If popular themes in science fiction, manga and anime are any example, we may want to deeply consider the consequences of placing a price on a technology that challenges our perception and definition of life.
How much is it?
Comment by Brianna — March 24, 2010 @ 1:20 pm
Neither HTC or Sprint have hinted at the price yet
Comment by savanthongvanh — March 24, 2010 @ 1:33 pm
6 Megabits? In Hong Kong we already have 21 Megabits! and it's still considered 3.5G…our 4G speeds are forecasted to be in the range of 50Mbps!
Comment by Max — March 24, 2010 @ 1:52 pm
Max, yes, US speeds suck. According to Sprint their 4g speeds will average 3-6MB/s http://www.nextel.com/en/solutions/mobile_broad...
Comment by savanthongvanh — March 24, 2010 @ 2:11 pm
I'm still using dial up. Damn dats fasssssst
Comment by 4gfool — March 25, 2010 @ 1:41 am
Well, I've been obsessively checking every day, all day long for news of a 2.1 upgrade for my Hero. To be honest, I didn't think we would see a 4g phone until the end of the year. It may be impetuous and ridiculously optimistic, but I'm planning to buy the Evo for myself and my boyfriend just as soon as it hits the shelf. I've been waiting a long time for this kind of hardware on an Android device. I was an early adopter. I've had a G1, a myTouch and now a Hero. My dad has my boyfriend's old G1, My boyfriend and I both have Sprint Heros now. We had to switch networks when we couldn't get voice or data coverage in our home or offices. We have Clear Networks as an ISP, so I'm super psyched to see Sprint partnering with them. And I'm way excited about the possibility of simultaneous voice/data services. Anyway, glad to find a community like http://www.Evo4Gforum.net with full of people as anxious as I am for the release of the Evo.
Comment by coolfx35 — April 5, 2010 @ 1:49 am