Projector robot moves, learns, alters shape

Cerevo Inc. said Friday it has launched a shape-changing home projector robot that can turn ceilings, walls and floors into displays. The Tokyo-based hardware venture firm's new robot, called Tipron, is also capable of learning where to project images, moving to those positions by itself, and returning to its charging station. "Sci-Fi anime and movies sometimes have a scene where all walls at home are becoming digital displays … it would be possible to re-create it in real life if actual displays are embedded" there, but it would cost too much, Cerevo CEO Takuma Iwasa said at a news conference in Tokyo. "We came up with Tipron to solve that issue. If the robot has a projector on its head and can move around independently, it is theoretically possible to project images on every wall," he said. But Tipron, which can project 80-inch (203-cm) images, costs a lofty ¥229,800.