Robot Avoids Crowds and Shareholders

Hitachi (NYSE:HIT)had fun showing off the latest version of their service robot EMIEW to the fascination of shareholders. EMIEW , which stands for Excellent Mobility and Interactive Existence, has an array of sensors to track people moving through a room to plan his path accordingly. EMIEW updates the positions of the strangers every half second. This gives the robot the ability to work around people without always bumping into them.


The press conference maybe went something like this:

"Hitachi has made this amazing high technology breakthrough and we are looking forward to very bright future. Just watch this amazing 130 cm tall robot dart past the walking people at a swift 1.2 meters per second. Speaking of seconds, Hitachi will probably lose about 55 billion yen, US $470 million, next year.
So just imagine how well this robot will be able to work in hotels, train stations... just stop and think about this marvellous robot."

"Excuse me. What was that about the loss?"

"Just imagine, no more lost luggage when you have a robot to carry it to your hotel room."

"No, I mean the other thing. Losing money? Hitachi profits?"

"Oh, that? 55 billion yen, that's all. A few problems with tubines at nuke plants. Nothing to worry about. Just see how smoothly EMIEW moves through the crowds. Aren't you just so proud of him?"

"Sell!"


Hitachi Expects to Post Big Loss for '06 - Examiner.com

Pink Tentacle: EMIEW Upgraded