After Toyota Motor Corp. showed how a robot can roll around to work as guide and has fingers dexterous enough to play the trumpet, now it’s the time for a robot to play some notes on violin. It has just unveiled its five feet white colored Violin Robot with 17 joints in both of its hands and arms that can play violin.
It performed ‘Pomp and Circumstance’, which is pretty much a tough work for mechanical fingers, as it involves a soft grip on strings. Toyota debuts a Mobility Robot too. This one is like a cross between a wheel chair and a gleaming white porcelain toilet that is capable of following a person, travel up 10-degree grades and even able to avoid obstacles.
Toyota is not alone in this quest of delivering robots, which offer utility for everyday life. Honda is other competitor, who is also striving for the same objective. However, other than motors, says Toyota President Katsuaki Watanabe, robotics will make one of their core business strategies in the coming times, which surely includes a wide scope for artificial-intelligence, such as sensors and pre-crash safety systems. The company also plans to test its robots in hospitals, Toyota-related facilities and other places starting next year and hopes to start with real use of robots under the title ‘Partner Robots’ by 2010.
