Unveiling of NAO Evolution: a stronger robot and a more comprehensive operating system
ALDEBARAN is announcing the launch of NAO EVOLUTION, the new generation of its NAO robot, equipped with the NAOqi 2.0™ operating system.
Aldebaran, the global leader in humanoid robotics, is pleased to announce the launch of NAO EVOLUTION, the 5th and latest generation of NAO, the interactive, autonomous, and fully programmable robot. NAO is already being used for specific research and education purposes. Over 5000 robots are currently operating in 70 countries. With its new functionality, NAO EVOLUTION is the next big step for the development of innovative applications for a broad range of companies and content publishers.
Please click on this link to go to the Multimedia News Release: http://www.multivu.com/mnr/71400559-lancement-de-nao-evolution
NAO EVOLUTION has the most up-to-date operating system, NAOqi 2.0, now being used by all of the company's robots, including the emotional robot Pepper. Designed for easy natural voice interaction, the NAOqi environment includes a dialogue engine, an emotional engine, and Autonomous Life- the system giving NAO. All robots designed by Aldebaran share the same technologies and operating system, enabling the transfer applications from one robot to another with a minimum amount of adaptation. In this sense, Aldebaran has succeeded in the challenge of creating a unique "platform" available in several humanoid forms and benefiting from the same advanced software.
NAO EVOLUTION also has improved functionality for easy interaction between humans and the robot and allowing developers to program complex sequences themselves:
· Improved shape and facial detection and recognition using new algorithms
· Improved sound source location using 4 directional microphones
· Refined obstacle detection and distance estimation with a detection range from 1 cm (0.39 inches) to 3 m (9.8 feet) using new sonar telemeters
· More powerful battery: 48.6 watt-hours, giving NAO EVOLUTION about 1 h 30 min of battery life in operational mode, i.e. 30% more than the previous generation.
Although NAO EVOLUTION is the same size as before (height: 58 cm, 1.9 feet), it is now:
· Stronger, with metal gears in the neck, hips, legs, and ankles.
· Quieter, with soles that dampen the noise and friction of its footsteps.
· More skillful, grasping objects more easily using finger grips.
"This new phase is fully in line with our vision of eventually offering the greatest possible number of humanoid robots for a variety of purposes" says Bruno Maisonnier, founder and CEO of Aldebaran. "Apart from schools and universities, we would like companies and the developer community to get hold of our robots and create applications that will ensure the success of NAO in the future."
Now available, NAO EVOLUTION will be marketed with package per region.
These packages include a full range of software and services and 1 to 3 years of after-sales servicing and warranties.
Aldebaran, the names and logos of NAO, Pepper and NAOqi are designated trademarks of Aldebaran in France and in other countries.
About Aldebaran
Established in 2005 by Bruno Maisonnier and with offices in France, China, Japan, and the United States, Aldebaran designs, manufactures and sells autonomous humanoid robots to contribute to human well-being. More than 5,000 NAOs, our first product, are used today as a research and education platform in 70 countries around the world. Aldebaran has 500 employees involved in robot development and manufacture. Aldebaran is a SoftBank Group company, holding 78.5% of its own capital.
Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport will deploy around 10 NAO humanoid robots developed by Aldebaran Robotics.
Humanoid robots developed by Aldebaran Robotics, a French robotics company headquartered in Paris and owned by Japanese conglomerate Softbank, will soon be deployed at the international airport in Bengaluru to assist airport staff.
Bengaluru International Airport Ltd (BIAL), the public-private consortium that operates the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), has not made an official announcement about this, and a spokesperson said “it was too premature to talk about.”
However, sources at KIA confirmed that the robots are being tested and around 10 of them will be used at various points inside the international airport to process check-ins and in assisting Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel in scanning passengers’ baggages and boarding passes.
The robots belong to the NAO family of autonomous, programmable humanoid robots developed by Aldebaran, which was acquired by the Softbank Group in 2013 for $100 million. The company has released five versions of its line of programmable, voice-, speech- and facial- recognizing, small-scale humanoid robots since its launch in 2006.
NAO, Aldebaran’s first humanoid robot, is 58 cm (around 2 ft) in height and is currently in its 5th iteration. The company has sold almost 10,000 NAOs throughout the world, in areas such as education, entertainment, hospitality, travel and sports. Each NAO robot is said to cost around Rs 10 lakh in India.
At Tokyo’s Narita International Airport, a NAO robotic clerk that speaks multiple languages was first deployed at the store of Mitsubishi Tokyo UFJ, a major Japanese retail bank, but has now moved to other areas of the airport to greet flyers who don’t speak Japanese. A fully autonomous, self-propelling baggage robot called Leo at Geneva airport meets flyers outside the terminal, scans their boarding passes and takes luggage away after issuing passengers a printed receipt. The robot is being run by air transport IT provider SITA, and was developed by BlueBotics SA, a Swiss company.
The humanoid robot is equipped with tactile sensors, ultrasonic sensors, a Gyro, an accelerometer, force sensors, infrared sensors, HD cameras, four microphones and high accuracy digital encoders on each joint. It is controlled by a specialised Linux-based operating system, named NAOqi.
NAO is said to be an endearing, interactive and personalizable robot companion. It is highly customisable for various environments and applications. “Everyone can construct his own experience with specific applications based on his own imagination and needs,” says the company’s website. Aldebaran has also developed two other humanoid robots, Pepper and Romeo, since developing and retailing NAO.
In India, NAO has reportedly been used by the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (FactorDaily could not independently verify this).
Bengaluru International Airport Ltd (BIAL), the public-private consortium that operates the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), has not made an official announcement about this, and a spokesperson said “it was too premature to talk about.”
However, sources at KIA confirmed that the robots are being tested and around 10 of them will be used at various points inside the international airport to process check-ins and in assisting Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel in scanning passengers’ baggages and boarding passes.
The robots belong to the NAO family of autonomous, programmable humanoid robots developed by Aldebaran, which was acquired by the Softbank Group in 2013 for $100 million. The company has released five versions of its line of programmable, voice-, speech- and facial- recognizing, small-scale humanoid robots since its launch in 2006.
NAO, Aldebaran’s first humanoid robot, is 58 cm (around 2 ft) in height and is currently in its 5th iteration. The company has sold almost 10,000 NAOs throughout the world, in areas such as education, entertainment, hospitality, travel and sports. Each NAO robot is said to cost around Rs 10 lakh in India.
At Tokyo’s Narita International Airport, a NAO robotic clerk that speaks multiple languages was first deployed at the store of Mitsubishi Tokyo UFJ, a major Japanese retail bank, but has now moved to other areas of the airport to greet flyers who don’t speak Japanese. A fully autonomous, self-propelling baggage robot called Leo at Geneva airport meets flyers outside the terminal, scans their boarding passes and takes luggage away after issuing passengers a printed receipt. The robot is being run by air transport IT provider SITA, and was developed by BlueBotics SA, a Swiss company.
The humanoid robot is equipped with tactile sensors, ultrasonic sensors, a Gyro, an accelerometer, force sensors, infrared sensors, HD cameras, four microphones and high accuracy digital encoders on each joint. It is controlled by a specialised Linux-based operating system, named NAOqi.
NAO is said to be an endearing, interactive and personalizable robot companion. It is highly customisable for various environments and applications. “Everyone can construct his own experience with specific applications based on his own imagination and needs,” says the company’s website. Aldebaran has also developed two other humanoid robots, Pepper and Romeo, since developing and retailing NAO.
In India, NAO has reportedly been used by the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (FactorDaily could not independently verify this).
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