Peoples Republic of South Devon

BearNav, surely not…

June 20th, 2008

The weekly technology column from those good people at Plymouth’s
Orange Crate

I wasn’t planning to do another story on robots this week, but I came across this and was forced to change my mind. Meet the teddy bear who will finally put an end to those age-old arguments between driver and navigator. The days when romantic weekend breaks in the countryside could be ruined by wrong turns and upside down maps (all before you even arrive at the hotel) may well be a thing of the past thanks to this fluffy little fellah.

The monotonous and often infuriating vocal orders from your satnav will be nothing but a painful memory of the past – let’s give a warm welcome to the disturbingly friendly navigator of tomorrow…

Developed by the iXs Research Corporation in (you guessed it) Japan, the 12-inch tall bear is designed with six movable joints in its arm and neck, enabling it to verbally direct a driver while making motioning gestures at the same time. In addition, stroke its head and it will give you information about local landmarks.

But it doesn’t stop there. Oh no. Picture this: Friday afternoon after work. You stop for half a pint with a couple of the guys from the office. After finishing said half you make your way into the car park to your car, complete with bearNav (it doesn’t have an official name yet, but BearNav works for me). After switching bearNav on (one can only wonder where the ‘on switch’ is…) a second of silence is followed by a friendly voice saying: “You haven’t been drinking, have you?” That’s right folks, he’s fitted with an alcohol detection sensor.

Embedded in its neck, the sensor is supposed to be a deterrent against drink driving. Also included is a sensor that detects reckless driving - harsh stops and wild cornering will result in the bear crying: “Watch out!” Sounds to me as if many of these bears are going to end up with a lot more than sensors embedded in their necks…

iXs Research have also talked of developing various shapes and sizes of these systems, not just sticking to the bear design but creating other characters too. With a release planned for as early as 2009, the bearNav is already in quite a developed state and could be seen in the UK by the end of next year. So how long until we see mutilated teddy bears strewn at the roadside whilst still pointing out directions? Not long, I would guess.

So stick to driving your taxi Rupert, it’s better for everyone that way.

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Entry Filed under: technology