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Robot Listens To You, Controls Your Home Theater

by Will Safer on March 26, 2008 at 04:13 PM

Toshiba's ApriPoko

We fear a robot takeover.

That said, this new robot from Toshiba, named ApriPoko, is so darned cute, how could we not want one in our very own home theater?

Its special purpose is the ability to memorize infrared signals from your remote control and assign each command to a certain action – like turning on your television or changing the channel – based on what you SAY to the little guy.

For example, if you use your remote control to turn on the TV, ApriPoko will sense the IR signal and then ask you, "What did you just do?" Your response, "I turned on the TV," is recognized and the command is assigned within ApriPoko's memory. The next time you want to turn on the TV, just say to the robot, "Turn on the TV," and it will be done. It works the same way with other devices and even more specific commands like changing channels, raising and lowering volume, and so on.

At least that's what's been promised by Toshiba, which at this stage is only demonstrating a prototype. ApriPoko is 8 by 11 inches and weighs about five pounds.

From Engadget via Pink Tentacle via Asahi News (crudely translated version of the article can be found here.)

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Tags: learning, prototype, remote control, RemoteControl, robot, toshiba, voice activated, VoiceActivated

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