RoboRoach, Better Than A Treasure Finder

<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> Who of us hasn't fallen victim to the malicious ways of forgetfulness? Now, with the creation of the RoboRoach, those peskey keys and socks will no longer be beyond our reach. Mitsubishi has recently come out with a device that combines one part dog, one part bug, and all parts helpful robot. The newly developed RoboRoach has the ability to search for that missing set of keys or lost shoe within a matter of minutes. The steps to using this seemingly convenient device are quite simple: 

1.      Pick it up and clearly dictate the missing item to it. Use as much detail as possible, for example: Keys, 4 on a chain, yellow, 4 cm in length, etc.

2.      After 2 confirmation beeps, list three rooms within the house where the object is most likely to be found.

3.      Watch the bot do its job.Within seconds, the miniature robot, only slightly bigger in size tan a cockroach will scuttle along the ground into those three specified rooms.

If the search is a success and the bot finds the missing object, it will emit a loud beeping noise, notifying the owner of its location. If the RoboRoach fails to find the object in the first three rooms, it will begin to systematically search the rest of the house until it locates the object.

“You’ll never lose your mind if you can’t find your keys again!” exclaims Takeo Kensei, inventor of the miraculous roach, “if you’re in a rush in the morning and you can’t find your keys just relax. RoboRoach will sniff them out while you calm down with a morning coffee. Additionally, your kids can never claim that they lost their homework again. It’s all the convenience of a bloodhound in the palm of your hand.”

The comparison to a hound is absolutely correct as it even needs to be trained upon first arrival in its new home to become accustomed to the house and the different rooms.  Kensei continues, “Just take it to a room, put it in the middle and say the name of the room. The bot will walk around the room and use its sensors to see the dimensions and location of the room and all the furniture. From then on, it will recognize the sound patterns when the room name is spoken, and will use its sensors to find its way to and around the room.”

Mitsubishi seems to have perfected the art of allowing people to track their personal belongings with ease, but will they stop there? According to Kensei, they have a whole line of search and retrieval units being planned. “I think we’re going to try an actual dog next, or maybe a crab. We are going to try an actual retrieval robot, so instead of a beeping noise, we want it to be able to use its end effectors efficiently. It could conceivably bring the object back to you without you having to walk and get it.”

Speaking of different types of robotic animals, Kensei had this to say on his original cockroach prototype, “Well, we always originally planned for the robot to be able to carry the object back and cockroaches are nefariously strong. However, while on the drawing board we realized that we could not add any end effectors such as pincers or claws since it’s in the form of a beetle. Instead we attached a sticky substance to the feet so that it may scale walls and desks for a better vantage point on the room.”

With these new creations popping up with more and more abilities, soon we can be expecting a robot that is intelligent enough to understand to fetch us a beer from the refrigerator with a simple point of the finger. Hopefully, they won’t become too intelligent as to try to bite that finger off.