Hitachi unveiled its latest creation, EMIEW3, the humanoid helper robot, last April 8. The new kid on the block is designed for commercial purposes and expected to hit the market in 2018.
The company first began its experiments with helper robots a decade ago, and now in 2016, EMIEW3 marks Hitachi's most commercially viable creation, being the third of the series.
This android on wheels is programmed to run at a maximum speed of 6 kph (or about 3.7 mph), unlike its strongest competitor, Pepper, Softbank's answer to humanoid robots, which can assume a maximum speed of only 2 kph (or 1.2 mph). Designed to assist people in stores and public places, particularly tourists, it now has around four languages fed into the system, with cameras and microphones feeding data into its environs.
After unveiling the machine, Hitachi conducted a demonstration that successfully showcased how quickly the robot responds to questions and identifies the change in language.
"Is there something I can help you with?" the robot, after surveying its surroundings, asked the actress playing a lost foreigner. The question asked in default Japanese was responded to in English by the woman, "Where is the tourist information?" The robot was seen to quickly change its language and lead the "tourist" to her destination.
Built with a remote brain configuration and the latest voice and language processing technology that figures out external voices, image and languages, even amid a loud background, the 33-pound android can thus identify customers looking for help and autonomously approach them with assistance. A definite upgrade over its predecessors, the humanoid helper robot also knows how to slow down while rounding corners and can reinstate its standing position on being knocked over.
While the Japanese companies may have mastered the creation of humanoid robots, each striving to break through to the commercial segment, Hitachi has nailed it with its latest creation that has a competitive edge as a real-world-situations expert. The company plans to extend its EMIEW3 services beyond Japan after its slated launch in 2018. And why not? This faster and supremely intelligent helper is likely to be seen in most public places like hospitals, stations, and airports with ready assistance in just a few years' time.
