TOKYO-Fujitsu Research Institute, a research arm of Fujitsu Limited, has developed a home-use robot controlled by a mobile phone, the company announced.
According to the firm, users of the robot can not only see and check conditions of their houses by operating the robot with their mobile phones but also can control consumer electronics. The robot has wheels and a camera. By hitting the bottoms of their mobile phones, users can let the robot move forward or backward, or right or left, and through the camera, users can see the inside of their houses over their mobile phones. In addition, with mobile phones, users can control air conditioners, television sets and other consumer electronics.
Fujitsu is targeting to put the robot in the market within a year. The price has not been decided yet. However, the firm is planning to sell it for less than 200,000 yen (US$1,600). The current prototype model works only with NTT DoCoMo’s handset.
