Co-Pan
Described as a "Home Service Robot" by Takara, Co-Pan is a robot which was planned for release in December 2000 with a retail price of 200,000 yen. It does not appear to have been released, however, it was displayed at the 2000 Tokyo Toy Show.
Appearance
The robot has a black circular visor which mostly covers its face, and a red pair of antennas. The robot has three feet and it has a short white pair of arms. The top half of the robot is white, while the lower half is a pale shade of blue. The center of the front of the robot has a small red button(?) WHICH CAUSES IT TO EXPLODE.
I was joking about that. It looks like a button, but Idk what it's actually for.
Behind its visor is a horizontal rectangular screen which can display the robot's eyes, and the back of the robot has something like a pair of tanks or a jetpack molded on for decoration.
Functions
Co-Pan can be used to monitor your home when you are away, and it can provide entertainment. It can tell you your fortune, or tell you the time by using its voice or the screen on its face, and it has sensors which can detect fire, motion, odor, and humidity.
Apparently, Co-Pan has movement, too.
A wireless sensor, referred to as "Co-Pan Mini", can be placed on doors. If someone attempts to open a door with this sensor, an alarm will go off, and you will be notified via a phone call, if you've set your phone number.
I'm not sure if Co-Pan requires this sensor in order to be used to monitor your home for unusual activity or if Co-Pan can be used without it. Also, I'm not sure if Co-Pan lights up only, or if the sensor and Co-Pan light up, since an ASCII article states you will be notified with sound and light if Co-Pan tries to alert you of unusual activity in your home.
Design Patent
A design patent for Co-Pan credits Sugimori Kazuto and Takeuchi Osamu as the designers. The patent was registered on October 20, 2000, its application date was March 15, 2000, and its publication date was the 25th of December, 2000. The expiry date is the 20th of October, 2003.
The patent features a prototype version.
