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Russian Military Robot Repurposed As Nanny Bot
According to Novosti, the Russian News and Information Agency, an engineer from Russia's Ivanovo Region built a robot for military purposes. Specifically, the robot that Vladimir Metlushko built was designed for military scouting and mine sweeping.
However, Metlushko made some alterations based on circumstances.
"But when I started a family, the device's purpose changed. It became both a nanny and a toy for our ten month-old son."
Metlushko assembled the device in his kitchen from commonly-available items, such as a webcam, a motherboard, a laser range-finder, rechargeable batteries, a wi-fi transmitter and a bicycle brake.
According to Novosti, the robot is able to speak, move, carry a baby, move objects, broadcast images, and iron clothes.
The basic storyline seems to be taken from Roujin Z, a wonderful 1991 anime in which a hospital bed robot is revealed to in fact be a powerful military robot.
(Roujin-Z hospital bed/robot in profile, carrying patient)
Nanny bots of course have a long history in science fiction, starting with the psychophonic nurse from a 1928 story by David Keller.
"I had her made by the Eastinghouse Electric Company. You see, she's just a machine nurse, but as she doesn't eat anything, is on duty twenty-four hours a day, and draws no salary, she's cheap at the price I paid.""...let me show you how she works...
(Read more about Keller's psychophonic nurse)
Via Russian engineer creates remote-controlled robot nanny.
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 1/16/2008)
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