Finally, the world has a robot that can shake its hips.

Steve Mellon, Post-Gazette Two of Sony's Qrio robots strut their stuff during yesterday's demonstration at Carnegie Mellon University. Click photo for larger image.

Its maker, Sony Electronics, has named it Qrio (pronounced like curio), but the way the surprisingly supple humanoid wiggled its hips during several dance routines yesterday, it could just as easily be called Elvis.

Hideki Komiyama, president and chief operating officer of Sony Electronics, yesterday brought the 2¹*₂-foot-tall, silver-colored robot to Carnegie Mellon University -- with which Sony has a "special relationship," he said ---- for a series of demonstrations and talks.

Several hundred students and faculty, many with kids in tow, packed into an auditorium of the University Center yesterday morning to see a half-hour demonstration. In addition to tai chi routines and several dances, Qrio also showed that it could find and kick a ball, recognize faces, and, if pushed over, get back up on its feet without assistance.

It was a cute show and, given that the robot runs autonomously rather than by remote control, a technological tour de force. But Komiyama insisted it's not yet ready for commercialization and refused to even place a tentative price tag on it.

"It's priceless," he said.

Steve Mellon, Post-Gazette Hideki Komiyama, president and chief operating officer of Sony Electronics, watches Qrio do its thing.

But Sony is convinced that future versions of Qrio will become a major product line. "I believe robotics could become as mainstream in our daily lives as cell phones are today," he said.

Sony is among several Japanese companies, including Honda and Kawada Industries, that are developing humanoid robots. This is in marked contrast to the United States and Europe, where robotics development has focused on adding autonomy to vehicles, aircraft and appliances rather than on building legged robots.

One reason for the difference, Komiyama said, is simply that "the Japanese people like this type of thing." But humanoid robots, which combine sophisticated mechanics, software and sensors, also push several types of technology, elements of which end up in other Sony products, such as Playstations.

Humanoid robots themselves could eventually become products, he said, perhaps serving as household aides in an increasingly aged Japanese society or simply acting as companions.

Steve Mellon, Post-Gazette One of the 2 1/2-foot tall machines "searches" for the ball before kicking it. It uses 38 motors to move its arms and legs. Click photo for larger image.

Todd Kozuki, a CMU graduate and a software development engineer for Sony's entertainment robot division, said the latest Qrio innovation is a sort of high-tech TV Guide. If a user asks Qrio what programs are on television, the robot can access the Internet and check the TV listings. When the user selects a program, Qrio can point at the TV and, with infrared emitters embedded in its hands, change the TV channel.

Qrio has a camera behind each of its eyes, providing stereo vision for sensing its environment, and has sensors in its feet and body to help it maintain its balance. Seven microphones allow it to respond to sounds.

If knocked over, "he instinctively puts his arms out to protect the most vulnerable parts of his body, such as his head," Kozuki said. It uses 38 motors to move its arms and legs.

A key part of Sony's "special relationship" with CMU is Manuela Veloso, a computer science professor whose research focuses on how several robots can work together on tasks. Robotic soccer has become a key testbed for this robotic teambuilding and teams of Sony Aibo robots led by Veloso have twice won international Robocup competitions.

Veloso has seen Qrio perform a number of times, "but every time I've seen them, they do different things." Yesterday's dances by two Qrio robots, she said, were remarkable both because of the fluidity of the motion and the tempo of the dance.

She makes no secret of her wish to someday add a Qrio to her robot locker room. "I would make it a [soccer] referee," she said, explaining that its advanced perception would allow it to monitor the players and call fouls.

Qrio uses the same computer architecture as the dog-like Aibo, "so a lot of the things we've done on the Aibo should transfer to Qrio," she added.