Sony Droids : Future Hardware Standards?
I don't expect that we'll be able to control Sony's robots, either the AIBO line or the upcoming SDR-4X robo-man, from a Mac...
But as these products move away from expensive toy status to useful devices does anyone expect for there to be a way for them to be controlled from anything other than a Windows-based PC?
There's really no reason for there to be a hardware controller in your PC is there?
Hardware-wise, will future droids even need to communicate with our PC's? Sony seems to have addressed this with their proprietary memory stick technology. Will Sony rule the consumer droid business entirely? If not, what kind of hardware standards may become issues for competing manufacturers in the coming years?
Drewprops
member since Jan99
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But as these products move away from expensive toy status to useful devices does anyone expect for there to be a way for them to be controlled from anything other than a Windows-based PC?
There's really no reason for there to be a hardware controller in your PC is there?
Hardware-wise, will future droids even need to communicate with our PC's? Sony seems to have addressed this with their proprietary memory stick technology. Will Sony rule the consumer droid business entirely? If not, what kind of hardware standards may become issues for competing manufacturers in the coming years?
Drewprops
member since Jan99
--
Thread closings getting you down?
Go post in the <a href="http://forums.appleinsider.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=11&t=000195#000001"; target="_blank">SUGGESTIONS FORUM!</a>
Comments
iRobot: control and program your robotic devices from your desktop. It's the next golden age of computing...
I really don't see robots as being part of the digital hub anytime soon (partly in fear of this Future Hardware thread being shuffled off to the Digital Hub forum). Still, using the example of the droid army from Star Wars : Phantom Menace, you could indeed have your robots controlled via a wireless connection, relieving them of the need for bulky on-board computational gear.
Imagine a robot that is controlled and programmed via an Airport connection.
There's absolutely NO demand for such a device now, but it does seem that virually ANY device should be able to be maintained by a wireless connection.
And any device that accomplishes a bit of autonomous work is, I believe, technically able to be called a robot. So even your VCR or your programmable coffee maker may be considered to be a robot.
Will the technology behind Airport replace X-10 technology? I don't know...but hey, there's an interesting NEW topic if anyone wants to grab it and start it.
Meanwhile, back to consumer droids.
If Panasonic/Matsushita and Sony and JVC and others begin bringing their droids to market you'll start seeing some real-world applications:
Perhaps roving security cameras.
Caretakers.
The legendary vacuum or grasscutting robots finally becoming ubiquitous.
Everyday tools for police and fire and rescue units.
When this happens I predict a long period where there are no standards for inter-communication between robots. But what if a common language is developed for these devices to share data. What kind of data would they share? What kind of files would they likely be? (Future Software forum)
If you communicate with these devices it will be by keyboard or mouse-click for a good long time, although I guess VR is good enough for some programmability at this point.
There WILL be kit droids once again, the old Heathkit robots were the last popular hobbyist model. This time around it will be on the order of PC clones made by hobbyists. Upgrade kits, vision cards, motherboards, the whole deal.
I just wonder where these technologies are right now, being that they're in their nascent stages. Who will be the suppliers for the hardware and who will be driving the standards game in this field? Right now it looks like Sony is the leader.
(Hey. Somebody had to say it.
personal aide for rich people
sex robot.
<strong>sex robot.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Sex Machine !?
If you had larger industrial robots equipped with an IR-vision system you could sell them as security droids which communicate wirelessly with their comrades helping to assemble a bigger picture of the overall state of the facility they were protecting. The idea is old, but the technology is rising to the concept these days.
If Sony sees profit in any of these areas it might pursue it, but for now their products are all considered to be for entertainment purposes only.
I just hope they all have good motivators....
D
sex robot.<hr></blockquote>
That would be a <a href="http://www.crazyapplerumors.com/2002_01_06_archive.htm"; target="_blank">sexbot.</a>
I'm waiting for the holodeck version.
AI != AppleInsider
Let's just allow this thread to slide to the bottom of the stack....
Check out:
<a href="http://www.evolutionrobotics.com"; target="_blank">www.evolutionrobotics.com</a>
for another company.
Unfortunately, to save costs, they seem to be concentrating on implementing Windows-based laptops, but I would imagine that retrofitting to a Mac-based laptop wouldn't be too tough...
Especially if they programmed in Java, or used embedded Linux, or such techniques which wouldn't be too difficult to port...
-HOS