Talk to Your Vacuum Cleaner as “She” Does The Job!

Cocorobo also has a 1.3-megapixel camera, an LED light, and wireless LAN connectivity. This enables the user to check the state of a room remotely, with apps available for both Android and iOS.

By connecting to it over the internet, Cocorobo can move 50 cm away from its charging stand, and then take four photos at 90 degree intervals, covering 360 degrees which you can check with your smartphone. You can also use the smartphone like a radio controller, to move Cocorobo forward or rotate it while watching the streaming video. If you set Cocorobo to automatic, you can also keep watching it move.

“Cocorobo now avoids obstacles by using ultrasound sensors, in an echolocation system. There are three sensors, on the front and 45 degrees to either side. With infrared sensors, transparent glass and black furniture can’t be recognized, so Cocorobo would bump into them. But with ultrasound sensors, it recognizes those items from the reflected sound waves, so it isn’t prone to bumping into things.”

Cocorobo is to be released in early June. The full featured version, the RX-V100, will be priced around US$1,600 (130,000 yen), and the basic version without a camera, the RX-V80, will be around US$1,100 (90,000 yen).

Here’s a video!