Gizmodo: teddy bear

MIT's Huggable Robotic Bear Keeps Ill People From Feeling Sad

Kit Eaton — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 10:30:00 EST

Normally you think science, lasers, and silicon chips when someone says "MIT," but Huggable is an MIT invention nonetheless: it's another smart robot companion, a bit like Paro meets Teddy Ruxpin. Its body is covered in sensors and motors, including webcams behind his eyes and a speaker in his nose, and its designed to respond to you and react like an electronic pet. But it's a little smarter than Paro: it can act as a telepresence device, echoing the movements of a remotely-manipulated Huggable.

And the remote bear can also be moved by you, which opens up the chance for the possibility of remote-controlled cuddles. It may, at this point, help to remember the bear's intended for uses in places like hospitals, and in early-learning applications.

It's the latest version of a device that MIT's Personal Robots Group has been working on for a while, and as you can see it's a research device so it's not exactly wonderfully cuddly at the mo. Still, the group's working on a refined version that'll be used in real-life human-computer interaction experiments. [MIT via BotJunkie]

GPS Navigating Navirobo Teddy Bear

Travis Hudson — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 15:45:10 EDT

Go figure, this is only available in Japan. The Navirobo Teddy Bear has a GPS module crammed where the sun don't shine. Sit it on your dashboard and let the navigating begin. Navirobo will point you in the correct direction and dance when you arrive at the final destination. Don't miss a turn or the Teddy Bear will laugh at you, once again reaffirming the fact that you are truly a loser. Seriously, Japan—wtf is up. This is just weird. – Travis Hudson

Navirobo GPS teddy bear [ubergizmo]

Teddy Bear Gun

Charlie White — Wed, 03 May 2006 10:20:25 EDT

Step away from the limousine, or I'll shoot you with this ... teddy bear? The Teddy Bear Gun capitalizes on a cutesy trend in Japan where wedding guests throw teddy bears at wedding receptions instead of rice or bouquets.

If teddy bear throwing sounds like a lot of work to you, here it's made easy with a simple touch of a button. Pull the trigger and the tiny plush bear is catapulted into the air, and once airborne, it'll float safely back to earth thanks to its tiny parachute. Made by paintball gun manufacturer Sunamiya, the party crackers will go on sale this month.

Gun-shaped teddy bear crackers ready to liven up wedding receptions [msn news]