Autonomous mini car to go on sale

Tokyo-based robot venture firm ZMP, known for its slick-looking Nuvo robot, is putting a mini robot car on sale that can autonomously avoid obstacles in its path.

The car is about a tenth the size of a real car and will be sold for R&D applications starting this month for around $5,000 (about twice as much with the stylish shell). It has a CCD camera and an infrared laser system to detect obstacles. It can also be controlled with a remote, and runs for about an hour when fully charged.