-Ian.

—- http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20020524/wr_nm/tech_robot_ dc_2

New Robot Sings Baby Lullabies, Delivers Drinks Fri May 24, 4:36 PM ET

By Ben Berkowitz

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Imagine having your laptop fetch a beer from the refrigerator and then roll over to the baby’s room to sing a lullaby while e-mailing snapshots to grandma a thousand miles away.

Evolution Robotics, a start-up backed by Pasadena, California-based technology incubator Idealab, unveiled this week what it calls a “personal robot system” — essentially a robotic framework centered on a laptop computer.

The company’s ER1, which is able to perform the kinds of automated functions once considered science-fiction fantasy, retails for $499 in a do-it-yourself assembly kit or for $599 in a pre-built format.

Users can plug any laptop into the robot, though the current configuration does not power the computer from the robot’s battery. Planned future functions will allow for automatic recharging from standard electrical outlets, the company said.

“It’s sort of a young toddler of a robot,” Mike Dooley, a product manager for Evolution Robotics, told Reuters.

Evolution chose a unique place to unveil the device — the Electronic Entertainment Expo, the video game industry’s annual trade show concluding on Friday in Los Angeles.

The consumer model of the robot uses a basic visual training system. It has a Web camera, and using the included software, the owner can show the robot an item (examples used included a CD and a book) and then cue the robot to take action once it sees that item, in what the company described as an “if-then” arrangement.

Tucked away in a back corner of the main Convention Center hall, Evolution executives ran a demonstration in a mock livingroom where the ER1 was shown a Coke can, causing it to drive to a small refrigerator, identify the right can from a group of three lined up in front of the fridge, pick it up and deliver it to a recliner on the other side of the mock room.

The system was not without its bugs. The retriever arm dropped the soda can on the floor halfway to its destination. Dooley said the arm is still a prototype and will not be available until later this year.

He also conceded that, for the time being, the ER1 remains hobbyist’s device, made available to the public more as a proof-of-concept than as a candidate for hot toy of the year.

“This is really an early-adopter market,” he said.

The company plans to make money from selling the consumer kits, from selling advanced developer kits for potential manufacturers at prices up to $10,000 or more and from licensing its programming software to other robot manufacturers.

Besides Pasadena, California-based Idealab, whose chairman, Bill Gross, is also Evolution’s chairman, the company has an impressive list of backers, including its lead investor, former Compaq (news – web sites) Computer chairman Ben Rosen.

The company also has scientific advisers from such institutions as the California Institute of Technology and the Swedish Royal Institute of Technology.

———–

-Ian.

http://www.inside.com/jcs/Story?article_id=18835&pod_id=10

Chris Rock Heaves a Big Suit Back at Z.com — and Idealab, Too Ben Berkowitz 12/20/2000 20:20

See what happens when you start throwing Rocks in court?

On Wednesday, one day after Z.com sued Chris Rock, the actor and comedian struck back with his own lawsuit against the online entertainment provider, as well as its parent company, Idealab.

Rock claims in his Los Angeles Superior Court complaint that Z.com and Idealab approached him in April to provide content to the site and use his celebrity name to promote it and attract other talent. In exchange, Rock claims he was granted the right to purchase 1.75 million shares of common stock in Z.com, at or after its IPO, at $.10 a share and Z.com is obligated to buy back all of the shares at $3-per-share at any time during the third year of the agreement, according to the suit.

”When plaintiff asked about the vulnerability of the ‘.com’ market and the failures of several such companies, defendants’ representatives insisted that Z.com was part of defendant Idealab! and that Idealab! would unconditionally guarantee Z.com’s buy back obligation under the agreement,” the suit states. ”Idealab!’s involvement and affirmative backing is what attracted plaintiff to Z.com and provided the motivation for plaintiff’s eventual execution of the agreement.” Idealab also incubated in GoTo.com, eToys, CitySearch, NetZero and Tickets.com.

When Rock was ready to purchase the 1.75 million shares, however, Z.com and Idealab first delayed discussions on an agreement, and then allegedly had their attorneys change ”certain essential tax language previously negotiated in the agreement,” the suit claims. Rock demanded to have the language changed back, but the defendants prolonged discussions in order to keep Rock’s famous name associated with the Web site as long as possible because the company was facing financial problems, the suit maintains. Indeed, in October, Idealab withdrew its IPO and shuttered two of its companies. As for Z.com, it laid off nearly half of its 100 employees in October.

Rock’s lawsuit claims intentional misrepresentation, breach of contract and other allegations. He is seeking $5,075,000 plus interest. He is being represented by attorneys Stanton L. Stein, and Sarah B. Takasugi of Alschuler Grossman Stein & Kahan.

”It should be … noted that Chris Rock provided Z.Com with his complaint yesterday morning in an attempt to give Z.Com another opportunity to comply with the agreement,” said a statement issued by Rock’s publicists late Wednesday. ”Instead, Z.com filed what Chris Rock regards as a baseless lawsuit to deflect attention away from Z.com’s previously reported financial difficulties.”

Joe DiNunzio, Z.com’s CEO hadn’t seen the suit and couldn’t comment on it specifically. He said, however: ”We believe it is in both parties interest to settle this. We have been disappointed in the inability to conclude these negotiations.” Calls to both internal and external spokespeople for Idealab were not immediately returned.

Z.com’s lawsuit against Rock claims it is owed more than $1 million in repayment of fees given to Rock for the content which was never developed. The first lawsuit, which also names Rock’s company, Chris Rock Enterprises, as a defendant, claims there was a preliminary agreement made on April 6 requiring Z.com to pay Rock $1,075,000, to be repaid within 45 days if a final agreement was not reached by June 30, as, apparently, it wasn’t.