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Taiwan is seeking to make its name in the global robotics market - this MSI produced robot named Rich demonstrates giving a tour walking down a garden trail - Source: Reuters
Taiwan researchers have invented a robot that can act as a
receptionist, tour guide, security guard and doctor's aide, the
latest offering from an island seeking to make its name in the
global robotics market.
The 60 kg interactive robot named Monica can film, then recognise
people well enough to admit them into an office building or send an
emergency text message to a human security guard, project leader
Ren Luo said.
Sensory functions also allow it to interact remotely between
doctors and patients, especially when a patient falls.
Tourists could also use the 100 cm tall robot to give them
directions.
"Within the robot community, this is pretty impressive because it
can replace so many human functions," said Luo, a professor at
National Taiwan University.
Long a powerhouse for personal computers, Taiwan is eyeing a share
of the $24 billion robotics market, taking on larger foreign rivals
such as Japan as margins in the island's chip and PC industries
come under pressure.
Taiwan aims to take a seven percent share of the global robotics
market and exports worldwide, worth T$250 billion ($10.4 billion)
by 2015, according to Taiwan's Precision Machinery Research &
Development Center.
Four university instructors, funded by T$58 million ($2.43 million)
from the Taiwan government, spent the past year building a pair of
Monica robots, which powered up on Monday.
The researchers have already spoken with a manufacturer about mass
producing Monica for consumers, Luo said. Current price tag is
T$400,000 Taiwan dollars ($16,793), he said.
Developers globally are also working on robots for household
assistance and dangerous tasks normally performed by humans,
including bomb detection and disposal.
