On Tuesday, Hitachi Ltd. showed media the EMIEW2, which can recognize
objects based on an image database containing some 100 million items and
determine its location in a room by cross-checking the data with photos
taken by indoor cameras. It can also guide people to objects when
asked.
In a demonstration in an office at the company's research laboratory in
Tokyo, when asked about the location of a watch, the robot answered, "I
will guide you." Moving to a desk where the watch was located, the robot
gestured and said, "It is here."
The company added the new functionality to the original EMIEW2 developed
in 2007. The robot, weighing 14 kg and 80 cm tall, can recognize faces
and voices, and can travel at a maximum speed of 6 kph.
A Hitachi official said, "We want to verify the safety of the robot so it can coexist with humans."
The Japan Times