www.NewScientist.com news service
by Emma Young

A home "guard dragon" robot has been unveiled in Japan. The four-legged robot can sense smoke and alert its owners to a smouldering fire - via a howl or a mobile phone text message.

The Banryu was developed by two companies, Sanyo and Tmsuk. It is one metre long, 80 centimetres high, 70 centimetres wide and weighs 40 kilogrammes. It can move at a top speed of 15 metres per minute, which is "more than fast enough for a home robot designed to travel in confined, cluttered spaces," Sanyo says.

The guard dragon can "confidently" walk over 10-centimetre gaps or climb a 15-centimetre high step using sensors located on its legs.

Owners will be able to switch the Banyru into any of three operating modes. The remote control mode allows users to send commands and receive information via mobile phone.

In care-taking mode, the robot will patrol the house and report back if it senses someone walking close by, or the scent of smoke. In pet mode, Banryu will act like a pet dog, obeying commands such as "sit" or "paw", Sanyo says.

Sanyo and Tmusk plan to start taking pre-orders in December, and to start sell an initial batch of 50 of the robots for about $16,400 next year.

In October, Fujitsu unveiled a similar home robot that can monitor an entrance hallway or check on a pet, sending video images to the owner's mobile phone. The Maron-1 can also control appliances such as air conditioners. Fujitsu says it hopes to put the vacuum-cleaner sized robot on sale for about $1625 within one year.