Manoi AT01 VS PF01

[srobot]

I was wondering what is the differince betwen the AT01 and the PF01? I know a lot about the AT01 but not much about the PF01.

Thanks,
--Scotty

[tempusmaster]

I was wondering what is the differince betwen the AT01 and the PF01? I know a lot about the AT01 but not much about the PF01.

Thanks,
--Scotty

Without going into a lot of detail, the PF01 is based on Takahashi's original MANOI design that was first shown almost two years ago. It's highly stylized and looks a lot like Astro Boy (Atom). The original design was great - I had the good fortune of participating in a complete disassembly of one of the first units last Spring - but apparently didn't lend itself to manufacturing. Kyosho delayed the release quite a few times and mentioned that there were problems with the molded parts.

They recently announced the PF01 will be released in April with pre-orders being accepted in March (in Japan). Pricing will be higher than the AT01, and the design appears to be less customizable/hackable. It seems to be targeted at customers that want one to show off rather than actually hack or get down and dirty with - they even put a rubber bumper on the back of the robots head so that it won't get scratched or cracked if it falls down.

There will be a lot more information available over the next month or two as the ship dates get closer.

[Marcus]

I spotted this when I was doing a Google search on the PF01.
http://www.iirobotics.com/catalog/produ ... cts_id=462
Is this likely to be the selling price, it seems more than a little steep?

[lampcov]

Marcus-

The pricing is just one vendor's inflated price. There are vendors in the US selling the AT01 for $1599.00 when it's $1285 US from Limor here at RS, I guess some people hope for the uninformed buyer.

The price should be more like 795GBP when released. See the following article and links at Botconnect

http://www.botconnect.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=6&mode=&order=0&thold=0

Marc

[Marcus]

That sounds more like it, thanks for the link lampcov.
Another (probably stupid) question. How long do these bots (eg. PF01) usually stay on the market for? Will I need to rush and buy one when it is released or are they still available 6-12 months after their release?

[srobot]

Will I need to rush and buy one when it is released or are they still available 6-12 months after their release?

It should be out for 6-12 months. (Look at the way KHR-1 has been for sale for about 3 years.)

--Scotty

[Marcus]

Well I hope this model hangs about for a bit, I'm forced to be patient in getting one due to being a poor uni student...

[srobot]

Any specs on the PF01?

--Scotty

[evaderdjo]

So I am trying to figure out the justification for the $500 price difference between the AT01 and PF01. Looks like they have the same DOF and even use the same servos. The PF01 includes two gyros, and the AT01 doesn't, but that should only be about $100 difference.

The PF01 does have an interesting Lithium Polymer battery system. I am having trouble understanding it though. The Japanese manual indicates that voltage is between 9 and 12, and it looks like each of the three individual batteries can be anywhere from 2.5V to 4.2V, with 3.7V as "typical". Am I reading this right? Does this battery configuration lend to longer use time or more power than the AT01 gets?

The only other way I can understand the price differential is if the frame on the PF01 is stronger, or if there are more standard motions included with the kit. What is the frame of PF01 and AT01 made of, and how many pre-programmed motions do they each have?

[Ghostrider]

So I am trying to figure out the justification for the $500 price difference between the AT01 and PF01. Looks like they have the same DOF and even use the same servos. The PF01 includes two gyros, and the AT01 doesn't, but that should only be about $100 difference.

The PF01 does have an interesting Lithium Polymer battery system. I am having trouble understanding it though. The Japanese manual indicates that voltage is between 9 and 12, and it looks like each of the three individual batteries can be anywhere from 2.5V to 4.2V, with 3.7V as "typical". Am I reading this right? Does this battery configuration lend to longer use time or more power than the AT01 gets?

The only other way I can understand the price differential is if the frame on the PF01 is stronger, or if there are more standard motions included with the kit. What is the frame of PF01 and AT01 made of, and how many pre-programmed motions do they each have?

It's primarily a 'style' issue.

The PF01 was designed by Takahashi which almost makes it a collectors item by itself. The mechanical design is much more complex compared to the AT01 (there's some good photos of Takahashi's original PFo1 being torn down completely on the Robots Dreams site that were posted probably around a year ago).

It's movements are somewhat slower, but seem more realistic in an anime way. It looks, and moves, like Atom/Astroboy and some other anime robots. Unfortunately Kyosho kind of botched the look a bit with some manufacturability changes and that stupid looking rubber bumper they put on the back of its head. Kind of makes it look like a walking doorstop.

Given all the additional mechanical stuff, and whatever royalty Takahashi and his group get from it, the price differential is probably pretty reasonable. If you don't care about the style or movement realism, then the AT01 would probably be a good choice. It's closer to the ROBO-ONE type of design. But, if you are looking for a really stylish robot that moves well and looks like it just stepped out of a Japanese manga, then the PF01 is very cool.