Science Fiction
Dictionary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
 |
Ubiko Robot A Fireman's Friend
Ubiko is a new robot that can sniff out the odor of fire. Ubiko is the result of a collaboration between robot-maker tmsuk, Kyushu University and the Kanazawa Institute of Technology.
(Ubiko checks for fire)
Ubiko is forty-four inches tall, and weighs about 132 pounds. Ubiko is described as having a humanoid appearance, but to me it looks sort of cat-like. It moves on wheels.
Ubiko is equipped with a set of olfactory sensors that are designed to detect the odors of smoke and ash. In a recent test at Kyushu University, Ubiko patrolled four rooms. One smelled of perfume, a second of garlic, a third of cigarettes while the fourth room was odorless.
Ubiko correctly identified the room with cigarettes has having the smell of materials on fire.
I hope frequent readers of Technovelgy will forgive me the obvious reference of the mechanical hound from Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, which also had olfactory capabilities. It appears that the cat-like Ubiko would be handier for firemen, though, since Bradbury's hound was better at catching individual people through their olfactory indecies. And, of course, there's that whole thing about the firemen in Fahrenheit 451 actually setting the fires, rather than putting them out...
Don't miss the rest of the robot sniffer news:
- Sniffer Robot With Infotaxis Algorithms On The Hunt
- RI-MAN Face Tracking, Electronic Nose Robot
- SPOT-NOSED Nanobiosensors For Doctors
Tmsuk is one of those companies that just keep bringing out the science-fictional in robotics; take a look at the shopping assistant that carries your bags.
Via Ubiko robot knows where the smokers hang.
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 2/22/2007)
Follow this kind of news @Technovelgy.| Email | RSS | Blog It | Stumble | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit |
Would
you like to contribute a story tip?
It's easy:
Get the URL of the story, and the related sf author, and add
it here.
Comment/Join discussion ( 0 )
Related News Stories - (" Robotics ")
Mori3 Autonomous Shapeshifting Robot
'My homeland is being threatened by the Replicators. Thus far all attempts to stop them have failed.'
Tesla Seeks 'Tesla Robotaxi' And 'Robobus' Trademarks Ignoring Prior Art
'A robobus had just rolled up to the curb.' - Gordon R. Dickson, 1957.
Scary Grid Safety Robots
'The ultimate horror for our paranoid culture...' -Philip K. Dick, 1960.
Humanoid Boxing Robot KO's Opponent - It's A Knockout!
'Thirty rounds of fighting is tough work. Even for machines.' - Aldo Giunta, 1957
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
Science Fiction
Timeline
1600-1899
1900-1939
1940's 1950's
1960's 1970's
1980's 1990's
2000's 2010's
Current News
LLM 'Cognitive Core' Now Evolving
'Their only check on the growth and development of Vulcan 3 lay in two clues: the amount of rock thrown up to the surface... and the amount of the raw materials and tools and parts which the computer requested.'
Has Elon Musk Given Up On Mars?
'There ain't no such thing as a free lunch.'
Bacteria Turns Plastic Into Pain Relief? That Gives Me An Idea.
'I guess there's nobody round this table who doesn't have a Crosswell [tapeworm] working for him in the small intestine.'
When Your Child's Best Friend Is An AI
'Figments of his mind in one sense, of course, for he had shaped them...'
China's Drone Mothership Can Carry 100 Drones
'So the parent drone carries a spotter that it launches...'
Drones Recharge In Mid-Air Like Jets Refuel!
'...nurse drones that would cruise around dumping large amounts of power into randomly selected pods.'
Australian Authors Reject AI Training Of Llama
'It's done with a flip of the third joint of the tentacle on the down beat.'
Is China Mining Helium-3 On The Moon's Farside?
'...for months Grantline bores had dug into the cliff.'
Maybe It's Too Soon To Require Autonomous Mode
'I hope all those other cars are on automatic,' he said anxiously.
Is Agentic AI The Wrong Kind Of Smartness?
'It’s smart enough to go wrong in very complicated ways, but not smart enough to help us find out what’s wrong.'
Heat Waver - The First Ever Combo Solar Collector And Wind Turbine
'...like a spray of tulips mounted fanwise.'
Tesla 'Fleet Response Agents' Bolster FSD Autonomy
'You hate the whole idea that some bored drone pusher in a remote driving centre has got your life... in his hands.'
Mori3 Autonomous Shapeshifting Robot
'My homeland is being threatened by the Replicators. Thus far all attempts to stop them have failed.'
Tesla Seeks 'Tesla Robotaxi' And 'Robobus' Trademarks Ignoring Prior Art
'A robobus had just rolled up to the curb.'
Scary Grid Safety Robots
'The ultimate horror for our paranoid culture...'
Does AI Provide A Way Forward For Talk Therapy
'And there in the next room by the sofa sat a familiar suitcase, that of his psychiatrist Dr. Smile.'
