Sony's Dream machine QRIO is state of the art Robotics and AI software. To a point where it makes the movie Small Soldiers less fictional by atleast 85% (A movie about toys that are so advanced you can reason with them as they were people.)
It can walk on 2 legs, which is something that took auto maker Honda many years to achieve with their ASIMO Robot. QRIO talks with a software that starts off with text, and emulates voice sounds. It is equiped with duel cameras mounted in it's head for important sterio vision, and 7 microphones around it's head so it can detect where sound is coming from.
QRIO's main purpose is to be an entertainment/companion Robot. The Movements i wouldn't say are as life like as ours. But it's very entertaining to see one in dance motion.
QRIO's AI (Artificial Intelligence) is what marvels me the most. We're talking about about a machine that will look you in the "face" and reconize you by that, and also by voice, and hold conversations with you. It also responds to voices it does not reconize. Sony claims it already know's dozens of thousands of words and it will also change with the times, knowing you as well as you let it.
The above is an image of QRIO at a recording for astroboy edisode #43. I read how as it was walking towards the mic stands it muttered in japanese something along the lines of "All this attention is making me shy". QRIO's technicians say this is all in good study. QRIO's Technicians also say they have to be good to QRIO before every show or else it will express it's annoyance by not doing what it is told.
Sony has also made QRIO their official goodwill ambassador spokes person. I think they done that to make the machine look better than it really is. But damn, i'd love to have a job like that.
Sony has no plans to release QRIO to the market anytime soon. I read there are only 100 in the world. They say if they did release QRIO today, it would cost as much as a BMW.
Here is a link to a video of QRIO presenting itself on Television in english.
http://www.exn.ca/video/?video=exn20051007-robot.asx
Here is Sony's online presentation
http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/QRIO/
. Sounds awsome I heard about those a while ago on tv watched it dance and all. Very interesting how it learns who the owner is and can talk with you.
