Earlier today in Osaka, Japan, Citizen Watch Co. unveiled a one inch tall robot that bears an uncanny resemblance to a Zippo lighter on wheels. PinkTentacle.com translated a brief article about the Eco-Be from today’s Hokkaido Shimbun Press and are able to provide a few details about the mini-robot.
The Eco-Be stands roughly 1 inch tall and is a little more than 0.5 inches wide. It is powered by a watch battery and driven by a small wristwatch motor. It moves forward and backward and can make turns based on direction it receives from an infrared remote control.
Citizen states that the Eco-Be’s technology will be useful for developing other, more sophisticated small-scale robots. The article makes no mention at all of commercial availability, although the Eco-Be’s next public appearance is slated for RoboCup 2006 in Germany this summer.
Read the Pink Tentacle translation of the Hokkaido Shimbun Press article: “Size matters for Citizen’s Eco-Be!“