This Japanese Night Light Crawls Like A Spider To Guide You In The Dark
Eeeeeeek!
No need to be scared of the dark when you've got this glowing robo-spider by your side :3
A Tokyo-based IT engineer, known online as Lanius, designed a mobile night light that crawls like a spider — basically, it's a cube mounted on six (or eight) motorised spider-like legs.
Image via @lanius via Oddity Central
Image via @lanius via Oddity Mall
Like any nightlight, the little spider robot glows. Unlike any nightlight, it can be remote-controlled via a Bluetooth joystick to walk you — literally — to the bathroom in the dark.
Talk about creepy, but also practical and strangely adorable.
Okay, but how would someone create a glowing robot spider and why?
Image via @lanius via Huffington Post Japan
The robot's creator, Lanius, who works as an engineer at an IT company, wanted to create a robotic object that felt like it had a soul, but could also be used in everyday life.
So, while brainstorming on how to use the 3D-printed robotic legs he had created, he was reminded of his own childhood when he was scared of going to the bathroom in pitch black (we can relate), and the idea of a helpful robot buddy sprouted in his mind.
In an interview with Huffington Post Japan, Lanius quipped: "I've created a walking bedside lamp. Now I don't have to be afraid to wake up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom."
That's not the only spider robot Lanius has created, by the way
Among other things, he's created a plate-carrying robot:
A laundry basket robot:
And he's even got a bot that charges your phone when you place it on the ground.
Personally, I'm not sure putting your phone on the floor for the spider robot to charge it is the most practical idea, but hey, the creativity is undeniable!
Can I buy any of these spider robots?
Not yet. Lanius' creations are still in the prototype stage, with no commercial manufacturing or sales channels available at the moment.
He intends to upgrade them with features such as fully autonomous movement and adding a digital face that can express "emotions", but for now, owning your own pet spider-nightlight is still a distant dream.
Still, the future is looking bright! Literally!
Image via @lanius via Oddity Mall
Image via @waterblazek/X
Not into spiders? Here's a list of cuter alternatives:
Looking for other gifts instead? Check them out here:
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