Best Inventions 2005: Bot Crazy

Follow the Leader
Inventor: Toshiba Corp
Availability: Prototype only
To Learn More: www.toshiba.co.jp/about/press/ 2005_05/pr2001.htm
Robots may not invade anytime soon, but there's no denying that they're getting smarter. The ball-shaped ApriAlpha uses advanced voice-recognition technology to distinguish between voices coming from different locations. When Alpha hears a voice, it fixes its steely digital-camera eye on the person speaking. The taller ApriAttenda can identify a person in a crowd by the color of his clothes and shape of his body, and then follow its target. It even bleeps when it loses track of its subject.
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