vacuum – SoraNews24 —Japan News— https://soranews24.com Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today. Fri, 28 May 2021 17:31:02 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1.4 https://soranews24.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/05/en_rocket_1024.png?w=32 vacuum – SoraNews24 —Japan News— https://soranews24.com 32 32 176746664 Talking Attack on Titan anime character robot vacuum promises to clean your “shitty” room https://soranews24.com/2021/05/29/talking-attack-on-titan-anime-character-robot-vacuum-promises-to-clean-your-shitty-room/ https://soranews24.com/2021/05/29/talking-attack-on-titan-anime-character-robot-vacuum-promises-to-clean-your-shitty-room/#comments Fri, 28 May 2021 17:30:52 +0000 https://soranews24.com/?p=543776

Levi has never been one to mince words or tolerate dirt.

Survey Corps captain Levi is Attack on Titan’s most popular character by far, and he’s known for both his brutal efficiency in killing Titans and his strong hatred of unclean living spaces. That first trait may not be directly useful for those of us in the real world, where we’re not threatened by naked, man-eating giants, but Levi’s neat-freak tendencies are here to help lend a hand with fighting against the more familiar foe of dirty floors.

Robot vacuum cleaner line Roborock has just added a new model to its lineup. Dubbed the Roborock S6 Pure Attack on Titan Captain Levi Voice Model, the lengthy name is admirably thorough in letting you know what you get: a version of the Roborock S6 Pure model upgraded with voice samples from Levi’s anime voice actor Hiroshi Kamiya. In total, the cleaning robo has 104 lines of dialogue from the coolly confident Levi, such as:

“Commencing cleaning of the area. I will stake my life on wiping out every speck of dust from this shitty room.”
“Suspending cleaning. Well, if that’s what you want…just make sure you won’t regret that choice later.”
“Cleaning completed. Do you see now? This is what real cleaning is.”

The machine also comes with an illustrated booklet listing all 104 voice samples, if you want a sneak peek at what vacuum Levi might have to say to you.

The Roborock S6 Pure Attack on Titan Captain Levi Voice Model is being offered exclusively through Hikari TV Shopping, which, counterintuitively, has an online store. Priced at 69,800 yen (US$674), this is far beyond the impulse-buy price point of capsule toy trinkets, but the sticker shock is softened when you keep in mind that this is a high-tech cleaning robot and the standard, non-talking S6 Pure goes for 57,800 yen.

Pre-orders are open now here, with shipping scheduled for early June. And if you need some Levi in your life while you’re waiting, the life-size statue of the character, along with some gigantic Titans, are still hanging out in a Japanese shopping mall.

Source: PR Times
Top image: PR Times
Insert images: PR Times, Hikari TV Shopping
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]]> https://soranews24.com/2021/05/29/talking-attack-on-titan-anime-character-robot-vacuum-promises-to-clean-your-shitty-room/feed/ 0 543776 LV 10 Premium Cocorobo will clean your floor, wake you up, and probably creep out your friends https://soranews24.com/2014/11/10/premium-cocorobo-will-clean-your-floor-wake-you-up-and-probably-creep-out-your-friends/ https://soranews24.com/2014/11/10/premium-cocorobo-will-clean-your-floor-wake-you-up-and-probably-creep-out-your-friends/#comments Sun, 09 Nov 2014 19:00:14 +0000 http://en.rocketnews24.com/?p=194995

While a cranky Roomba can make a terrible mess, it doesn’t necessarily mean that we should never allow robots into our homes–only that we probably ought to be careful about how much we trust them. For example, letting them vacuum your floor seems reasonable, but relying on a vacuum bot to wake you up might not be such a great idea. And giving your vacuum bot a cute anime voice and something resembling a personality? That’s how humans end up extinct!

But apparently Sharp needs to watch more Terminator films, because that is exactly the kind of vacuuming robot they’ve created!

As you can see in the video above, Premium Cocorobo (Little Sister Version) is a limited edition, “premium” vacuum robot that does more than just clean your floors. The robot will also let you know the weather, wake you up in the morning, and give you some serious lip, saying, in a petulant voice, “I know, but I won’t tell!” depending on its “mood.” Even more disturbing than being obnoxious, it will call you “darling” when waking you up…

This Cocorobo also has a manga mascot, as you can see below. It’s cute, we suppose, but it presents a terrifying question: Does this mean she’s inhaling all the dirt into her mouth as she scrambles around on her hands and knees? How is that not a human rights violation??

▼Cocorobo also apparently loves to talk about fish. Because glub.

Well, we suppose we shouldn’t think too hard about robot vacuum cleaners…we’re sure they won’t gain sentience and spend all their free time plotting to trip us and then slowly smack us to death with those little rotors.

In happier news, it turns out that Premium Cocorobo (Little Sister Version) is apparently packed with trivia about Japan’s various prefectures and, for example, can tell you about delicious apples in Aomori. In fact, we have to hand it to Sharp–when they make a talking robot vacuum cleaner, they go all out. Premium Cocorobo (Little Sister Version) is actually capable of responding to questions–for example, you can tell the robot that you want to exercise and it will respond with a recommendation like jogging or “Think of something yourself.” The robot vacuum is also apparently equipped with “Cloud-chan,” Cocorobo’s cat, which will read out user submitted “news” (more like Dear Abby letters) and responses compiled by SHARP Cloud Labs.

▼It will also creep out of your friends when they come over,
giving you all the alone time you ever wanted! Win, win!

Premium Cocorobo (Little Sister Version) will also interface with your smartphone, allowing you to send instructions to the vacuum robot and get alerts about the device and your home as well. It can even tell you the temperature in your bedroom when you’re at work, reminding you of how much better your day would have been if you’d never let it wake you up. It looks like you can even use the Cocorobo to change settings on other devices like your air conditioner with its built-in IR transmitter, which would be a great way to preheat your house before you get home in winter.

▼Here is Ibuki Kido, the actress that gave Cocorobo its voice.

Cocorobo, in addition to being packed with functions, comes with a huge price tag: 148,000 yen. Which is worth about US$1,291–that’s enough to buy an Xbox ONE, a PS4, and enough games to last you through to next summer. Of course, then you would have to do your own cleaning…man, life sure is full of tough choices!

▼But not for Cocorobo. It has no will with which to choose–only programming.

With all these functions packed on you wouldn’t expect its batteries to last too long–and you wouldn’t be wrong. That said, one charge takes about 4 hours and provides enough power for Premium Cocorobo (Little Sister Version) to clean for roughly 100 minutes, which isn’t really outrageous for a robot vacuum.

If you do preorder, you can expect to get your cute, disturbing new vacuum sometime after it ships on January 16. Hopefully we won’t be hearing stories about people who overslept after their Premium Cocorobo (Little Sister Version) decided to rebel and not wake them up.

Sources/images: Sharp Cloud Labs, YouTube

]]> https://soranews24.com/2014/11/10/premium-cocorobo-will-clean-your-floor-wake-you-up-and-probably-creep-out-your-friends/feed/ 0 194995 cocorobo (2) cocorobo (1) cocorobo (2) cocorobo (1) cocorobo (3) Robot rebellion begins with a cranky Roomba, Internet users too busy laughing to fight back https://soranews24.com/2014/10/20/robot-rebellion-begins-with-a-cranky-roomba-internet-users-too-busy-laughing-to-fight-back/ https://soranews24.com/2014/10/20/robot-rebellion-begins-with-a-cranky-roomba-internet-users-too-busy-laughing-to-fight-back/#comments Mon, 20 Oct 2014 11:30:10 +0000 http://en.rocketnews24.com/?p=189519

2015 is only a few months away, and while we’re still nowhere near getting the hoverboards from Back to the Future Part II, we do, at the very least, have robots to do our house chores for us! It’s such an exciting new frontier for housework that someone even made a robot vacuum simulator! While you might still have to make your own dinner, at least you can always drop your onion skins on the floor without worry, knowing your little automated vacuum buddy will clean up after you.

It’s like we really are living in the future! Unfortunately, while our robot vacuums may be automated, it turns out that they’re not much smarter than a pile of rocks, as one shocked Japanese Twitter user recently discovered.

Posting the photos below on Twitter, @_zozomix included a message that could best be summed up as “WHAT THE HELL?? ROOMBA?? ARRRRRRRRRGGGG!” If you’re wondering what could leave someone screaming at a robotic vacuum, check these photos out.

https://twitter.com/_zozomix/status/522999390265282561

▼It’s like a tank rolled off a French battlefield and into @_zozomix’s home!

▼But we will give this obviously drunk tank driver credit–that’s a pretty good right turn.

▼Did a mortar filled with mud land here?

▼Ah! And here is our little, round culprit. Go home, Roomba. You’re drunk.

After wondering if she should really leave the Roomba to do cleaning again, @_zozomix tweeted a question we must all now ask ourselves: Is the end nigh??

https://twitter.com/_zozomix/status/523012263993540608

“I despaired and thought about pretending I hadn’t seen this and heading upstairs, but I got a broom and set to cleaning it up. And then I realized that cleaning up the cleaning robot’s coup d’etat would make for a great tweet. I was cackling to myself as I took these photos.”

While @_zozomix might be taking this all in stride, some other Internet users were concerned about the implications this event might have. Could it be that the robot uprising is finally at hand?!

“It’s finally begun! The AI is rising up against humanity!”
“I thought the Roomba might have pooped itself…”
“It’s so good at cleaning! Amazing!”
“It’s just like a pet, isn’t it?”
“The Roomba was telling itself, ‘No one will know! I’m cleaning after all!'”
“As punishment, you should have it do overtime work cleaning.”
“You found it hiding under the desk? It is just like a dog!”
“I think the real conclusion we can draw here is that YOU’RE to blame for leaving the plant on the floor!”
“I thought this was another cute point about the Roomba. It’s like it’s been smoking a little something-something.”
“If you don’t feed them properly, this is what happens, you know!”

Ah! It all makes sense now! Remember that, folks: You gotta keep your Roombas fed or they’ll tear everything up when they get low blood sugar.

If you’re feeling bummed about the coming robopocalypse, we do have something that’ll cheer you up. Here’s another domestic pet acting strangely. At least the cat didn’t make a mess!

Sources: Twitter (@_zozomix), Hamusoku
Images: Twitter (@_zozomix)

]]> https://soranews24.com/2014/10/20/robot-rebellion-begins-with-a-cranky-roomba-internet-users-too-busy-laughing-to-fight-back/feed/ 0 189519 robotcover580 robotcover robot1 robot2 Robot3 Robot4 COCOROBO Is the Funnest Vacuum Cleaner Ever! I Know That’s Not Saying a Lot but It’s Really Fun https://soranews24.com/2012/08/08/cocorobo-is-the-funnest-vacuum-cleaner-ever-i-know-thats-not-saying-a-lot-but-its-really-fun/ https://soranews24.com/2012/08/08/cocorobo-is-the-funnest-vacuum-cleaner-ever-i-know-thats-not-saying-a-lot-but-its-really-fun/#comments Wed, 08 Aug 2012 14:00:12 +0000 http://en.rocketnews24.com/?p=15366 When robot vacuum cleaners first hit the scene about a decade ago, they appeared to signal the end of lugging around traditional upright models.  However, with a pretty hefty price tag and comparatively limited cleaning ability, they haven’t exactly caught the world on fire.

Seeing this, Sharp has developed a robot vacuum cleaner destined to light a fire under consumers: ladies and gentlemen, meet COCOROBO (also affectionately known as, RX-V100W). So what makes COCOROBO so great? Well, for starters, it’s remote-controlled and able to talk with people.

■　You Got to Think Outside the Box to Appreciate COCOROBO

You might be thinking to yourself “I don’t need a talking robot vacuum cleaner. Why are you writing about this you strange, sad little man,” and normally I’d agree with you. However, to really get what COCOROBO is about you have to abandon all preconceptions of what a vacuum is and should be.

Also, think about this: whether you’re a person or a machine, it’s the ones that stand out from the rest that are the most fun.

■　Talking, Live Video, and Photos, Oh My!

COCOROBO is designed to respond to your voice. For example, if you come home from work and yell out “I’m home!” expect a warm welcome from your vacuum. You can also command it to clean whenever your wish just by telling it to.  In fact, even if you’re having a bad day, feel free to take it all out on COCOROBO saying, “Clean my m****f*** room you overpriced piece of s**t!” and it will politely reply and start cleaning*. It’s kind of like Jesus in that sense.

Also the machine is kitted with a camera and Wi-Fi support.  Using these you can use an iPhone or Android phone to control it, watch videos, and take photos. So your little Jesus vacuum can also moonlight as a security guard.

■　Room Mode

COCOROBO has two modes depending on where you are. In “Room Mode” you are connected to the vacuum via your home’s Wi-Fi network. Using this fast connection you can control COCOROBO remotely with your smart phone.  You can see where you’re going using the mounted camera which streams a live video feed to your phone.  Essentially the main purpose of this mode is to screw around like you were playing with an RC toy, but if you really want to clean your whole house like this you can download a manual to your phone to give you expert handling.

■　Outside Mode

For outside mode, your smartphone connects through the 3G network which, due to speed restrictions, means that you can’t remote control drive it with live video (although it would be awesome to do your vacuuming from another country).  You can, however, keep an eye on your abode using COCOROBO’s still photos.

Your security vacuum will be able to take a 4-way photo of the room it’s in, so you can get a quick check that everything’s okay.  This would be perfect for pet owners or anal-retentives.

■　But How Does It Clean?

Okay, if you still insist on clinging to the fact that this is a vacuum cleaner, we should discuss how well it performs as one. A lot of the media hype surrounding COCOROBO maintains that it doesn’t live up to its competition in terms of sucking. However, having bought and played… I mean cleaned with one, I wasn’t disappointed.  Initially, I thought I’d just have it do occasional tidying while I did the bulk of the work myself, but it turned out that COCOROBO did a fine job by itself.

Overall, COCOROBO is a hell of a talking/verbal punching bag, remote control, surveillance, vacuuming robot.  Some of you may still think it’s an extravagant abomination of a vacuum cleaner, and at the end of the day you’re probably right.

But I tip my hat to the people at Sharp for trying to bring some fun into vacuums.  I envy the development team who created COCOROBO for working for a company as daring and supportive of creativity as Sharp appears to be.  Next time, I’d like a microwave that streams YouTube clips that of the same length it takes to finish heating my hotdogs.

Thanks to the person who lent us the room. You know who you are.

You can follow the further adventures of Kuzo on Twitter in Japanese

▼ You can take pictures of your house in Outside Mode

▼ You can enlarge each photo.

▼ In Home Mode you can control it like an RC car.

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