Sanyo rover checks for house cracks

A new Sanyo Electric Co. robot can check for cracks in the foundations of homes by crawling through the narrow, inaccessible space under the floorboards.

The treaded robot has a video camera that relays real-time images to a remote location. It can automatically avoid obstacles in its path and can be remotely controlled with a computer mouse.

While the bot would be useful for checking for temblor damage in quake-prone Japan, Sanyo says it will promote the use of homes for longer periods, which a new law calls for to save on resources. Japanese residential buildings are typically torn down after only a few decades of use. Sanyo hopes to sell 1,000 units annually of the robot, which will retail for less than 1 million yen ($8,800), in five years.

Via Kyodo News

Smart vac-bot hits Osaka streets

A new cleaning robot with smarts can recognize objects and people with a laser sensor. The Figla Eye, developed by Tokyo-based glass maker Figla Co., has been put on display in Osaka by local industry group Robot Laboratory to showcase its abilities.

Originally developed in 2004, the Eye can automatically clean every nook and cranny of a room by using a variety of ultrasonic distance sensors to find walls and corners. On a single battery charge it can operate for an hour at full capacity or two hours at reduced capacity.

An on-board camera system allows for remote home monitoring through wireless LAN. It can also wax floors.

The latest model can differentiate between people and inanimate objects, within a radius of several meters, based on shape by using a laser sensor that rotates 10 times per second.

The Eye is designed for use in offices, hospitals, hotels and large public facilities. Figla aims to commercialize it within a year, according to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun newspaper.