http://gearlog.com/blogs/gearlog/archive/2006/03/15/7892.aspx
Not only can it smell but it will be able to carry people too. Hmmm, the new super fast and strong muscle technologies could come in handy here.
One thing I’ve alwats wonderd: why in the name of almighty do all the humanoid robot desings have a head, that looks like that? I mean even a round sphere would look better.
If I’d be a granpa, who would have soiled his pants and a robotic nurse loooking like that would come to change me I’d soil my pants even more.
The reason they’re doing this is because the elderly population in Japan is going to explode, think of all the human caretakers that would possibly take. Their reasoning is that they can build robotic caretakers for these people.
Update I think you’ll like, a link to a video of RI-MAN in action
(In Japanese but with English subtitles)
Note how it manages to pick up the doll with dropping it.