<P>Japanese Robot Knows Words, Can House-Sit </P>
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<P>Mon Aug 29, 9:30 PM ET </P>
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<P>A child-shaped humanoid robot that can recognize about 10,000 words and work as a house sitter will go on sale in Japan in September.</P>
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<P>The "Wakamaru" robot can recognize the faces of up to 10 people and talk to them. When linked to mobile phones, it can also work as a monitor to check situations at home, such as a burglary or someone falling ill, Mitsubishi-Heavy Industries Ltd. said in a statement Monday.</P>
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<P>Mitsubishi-Heavy said it would be the first time a robot with communication ability for home use has been sold.</P>
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<P>"This is the opening of an era in which human beings and robots can coexist," it said.</P>
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<P>Mitsubishi-Heavy said it will start taking orders for "Wakamaru" from Sept. 16, and plans to sell 100 of the one meter- (3.3 feet-) tall, 30 kilogram (66 pound) robots at about 1.58 million yen (US$14,300; euro11,619) for residents in central Tokyo.</P>
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<P>The owner's schedule can be programmed in advance and Wakamaru can give a wake-up call and remind them of the day's events.</P>
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<P>The robot will be on display at three locations in Tokyo including the company's showroom from Sept. 16.</P>
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<P>출처 : Yahoo / news / tech ,</P></DIV></DIV>
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