Fujitsu has begun limited sales of their new service robot, enon, on a limited basis in Japan from September 13, 2005. enon is an advanced practical-use service robot that can assist in such tasks as providing guidance, escorting guests, transporting objects, and security patrolling. enon will be presented at the 23rd Annual Conference of the Robotics Society of Japan 2005, scheduled to be held at Keio University in Tokyo from September 15. enon will also be exhibited at the 2005 International Robot Exhibition to be held at Tokyo Big Sight from November 30.
enon is an acronym of the phrase “exciting nova on network.” The phrase conveys the robot’s ability to autonomously support customers’ tasks while being linked to a network.
There is much anticipation for the practical use of service robots in a wide range of applications, to enable a more enriched society and in view of declining birthrates and aging populations in many countries. Fujitsu’s new service robot is a culmination of the collaboration of Fujitsu Laboratories and Fujitsu Frontech to develop a robot with practical applications useful to people in their daily lives. In September 2004 the two companies succeeded in developing a prototype service robot designed to support individuals in offices or commercial establishments, by assisting with duties such as providing guidance, transporting objects, and security patrolling.
Fujitsu Frontech is scheduled to begin initial sales of enon on a limited basis in Japan, with delivery scheduled from November of this year. After observing operational performance of enon in various real-use situations through these initial sales, Fujitsu Frontech will consider expanding marketing of enon.
As a fully developed practical-use service robot, enon features enhancements such as lighter weight, smaller size, and more safety features than the prototype that Fujitsu developed last year. enon is an advanced service robot capable of accomplishing multiple tasks such as providing guidance, escorting people, transporting objects, and security patrolling, thereby differentiating enon from other service robots on the market that are designed specifically for only a single task such as transporting, cleaning, or surveillance.
Fujitsu Frontech is scheduled to begin initial sales of enon on a limited basis in Japan, with delivery scheduled from November of this year. After observing operational performance of enon in various real-use situations through these initial sales, Fujitsu Frontech will consider expanding marketing of enon. Fujitsu anticipates that enon will be useful in applications such as the following:
1. Guidance and escorting
enon is suited for reception duties or explaining of exhibits, as it can detect when people stand in front of it and can provide a variety resourceful information such as product details, in addition to escorting guests to designations. Aside from its voice function, through its touch panel LCD monitor enon can also offer a multitude of user-friendly information through visual images. This monitor can also be utilized to administer questionnaires and through interconnection to a server can be used to accumulate guest information.
2. Transport of objects
enon can carry parcels an internal storage compartment in its torso and deliver them to a designated location. Through network interconnection, users can call for enon to come from a remote location and have goods delivered to a specified designation.
3. Security patrolling
enon is capable of regularly patrolling facilities following a pre-set route, and by using a network has the ability to transmit images of stipulated locations to a remote surveillance station. enon can also respond flexibly or to users’ spontaneous requests through a network, such as directing enon to view specific sites.
