PinkTentacle.com reports today that the Pirkus-R Type-01 robot has recently had its facial recognition software updated. The upgrade addresses limitations that had often hindered recognition attempts by earlier models, including variations in lighting and positioning of the target subjects. Now Pirkus-R can track the location and orientation of its target and move itself into position in order to capture an optimal facial image with its built-in camera.
Developed by Japanese companies KDDI and I Bee, Pirkus-R is a foot-tall, bipedal robot that looks much like other consumer humanoids. What sets it apart is its built-in CCD camera and Bluetooth capabilities. While Bluetooth is not an entirely uncommon feature in humanoids these days, built-in cameras are. The combination of both not only gives the bot a new level of autonomy, but also offers its operator more ways to monitor and control its performance. Like its Bluetooth brethren, Pirkus-R can can be remote-controlled via a BREW-enabled cellphone. The robot’s system status can also be monitored by phone, and using the software developed by KDDI, users can even see the results of its facial recognition attempts.
Pirkus-R is set to compete at the Robo-One competitions in Tokyo this weekend, so hopefully we’ll hear even more about this interesting robot in the coming days.
Read the PinkTentacle.com article about the Pirkus-R facial recognition upgrade: “Pirkus-R, the Bluetooth bot with facial recognition skills“