Would you take directions from a foot tall teddy bear? That is what Fujitsu and iXs hope you will. They designed a robotic teddy bear to sit with you in your vehicle, acting as a GPS would, but besides the spoken directions, it will add its own gestures to show you the way.
Since the robot teddy bear will be with you while you are driving, it would include safety features to assist its owners. One example would be a sensor around its neck to detect if you have been drinking. In a loving voice it would actually ask “you haven’t been drinking, have you?”. Additional safety measures would consist of warnings about external drivers and also if there is surprise braking or reckless driving around.
As a fun part of the project, the bear would also provide you with information on local landmarks if you simply stroke its head.
This sounds like a really cool product, but would it be taken seriously? I wonder if some driver will get some road rage and tear off the bear’s head, forgetting it is his or her actual GPS device and driving colleague.
Via: Pink Tentacle
