Robot bartender no tin can

How quickly they grow up. I remember checking out Yaskawa Electric's wheeled robot bartender SmartPal way back in 2005 when it was little more than a bucket of bolts with an LCD face.

The latest generation, SmartPal V, was announced late last year. Earlier this month it was shown off in a robot fair at the Kitakyushu Innovation Gallery down south. Kitakyushu is a center for humanoid robots in Western Japan along with Osaka.

Though it has been exhibited as a bartender, SmartPal is designed to address the demographic crisis of Japan's low birthrate and aging population by being a viable worker.

The fifth model in the series is 50% slimmer than past versions. It has new moving hand and pelvic units so it can perform more intricate tasks in manufacturing; its arms have seven joints, allowing it the same freedom of movement as a human arm.

But it can also pick up your beer bottle if you drop it, as shown in the pic.

Motoman superannuates you

Think you're good at sorting packages? Try going head to head with Motoman. It can sort about a thousand packages an hour - better than most humans. I bet the hapless worker in the background of this photo envies its chops.

In a tie-up between robot producer Yaskawa Electric and distribution machinery maker Hokusho Co., Yaskawa's Motoman DA-10 humanoid robot has been put to work at a Hokusho factory to demonstrate its package-sorting abilities.

Motoman has seven-axis arms and can perform simultaneous tasks like toting objects and tightening bolts. I've seen the DA-10 at a robotics trade show in Tokyo - the head is just a cosmetic accessory added for fun. In fact Yaskawa staff dolled up their humanoid pals with scarves, much the bemusement of onlookers. Here, Motoman is demonstrating its article-handling functions - it can work in close proximity to people and step in when they're not around. It sorts packages by reading their bar codes. But this strikes me as pretty old-school compared to new automated distribution technologies like RFID. I think Motoman should run for office instead.

Via Pink Tentacle