Hideki Kozima Dishes On Keepon
Writing by Evan Ackerman on Thursday, 13 of November , 2008 at 4:05 am
Keepon’s recent commercial release left us all a little bit depressed about his $30,000 price tag. GetRobo has an interview with Keepon’s developer, Hideki Kozima, where he discusses why the robot costs so much, talks a little bit about the history and uses of Keepon, and gives some hints about what might be in store for a less expensive, consumer version. Here’s a taste:
Q. After people heard about the news of Keepon being commercialized, some readers asked why the robot had to be so expensive. Why does Keepon Pro cost $30,000?
A. The short answer is the high cost of manufacturing in small volumes and the high-end electronic components that we use.
Since Keepon was initially developed as a tool to conduct psychological experiments to observe voluntary communication behaviors between children and the robot, safety was of paramount importance. Children will not only touch Keepon but they will hit it, sit on it, bite it, etc. The robot had to be safe and also resilient enough that it wouldn’t break easily.
…
In addition to manufacturing costs, we use miniaturized and high-quality components. Keepon has two CCD cameras made by ELMO that cost several thousand dollars each with optics, a high-end Sony microphone, and four actuators manufactured by Maxon of Switzerland that are several hundred dollars each.
So, to summarize, Keepon was initially developed as a tool for academic research and thus it required expensive components to conduct accurate experiments. When I first designed it in 2002, I never dreamed that it would be commercialized. It never occurred to me that people would want it until Marek posted a video on YouTube in spring of 2007.
Q. But you are planning on producing a cheaper version of Keepon.
A. Yes. Our first product, Keepon Pro (which has the same specifications as the original Keepon), costs $30,000. But we are committed to making a more inexpensive model. The newer version will not need the precision to conduct psychological experiments, so the goal is to streamline the manufacturing process without losing the original life-like movements and presence. We are designing a new mechanism from scratch. Customers such as schools for children with disabilities and elderly care facilities will be able to utilize it for their needs.
Click on through for the complete interview… If you’re interested in Keepon, it’s worth the read.
[ GetRobo ]
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Comment by Ironman
Made Thursday, 13 of November , 2008 at 11:42 am
beatbots.com
tons of videos of keepon.
it’s such an awesome robot, definitely giving us a view of what robotics is truly capable of.