NaviRobo crab points your sat-nav directions [Video]

By Chris Davies/May 21, 2010 2:29 am EST

Wikitude Drive's augmented reality directions too complicated for you? If you prefer a more straightforward guide to unfamiliar highways then Pioneer and iXs Research's NaviRobo might fit the bill. A crab-shaped robot, he squats on your dashboard and points to the direction you should take next, using illuminated eyes to indicate how close the turn is.Video demo after the cut

The hard work is all done by a regular in-dash Pioneer PND unit, with the NaviRobo crab just being assigned the basic pointing duties. Hopefully Pioneer will be doing some work to streamline their route-programming interface before the system's launch, since having a friendly 'bot to guide you is useless if you can't figure out how to tell him where you actually want to go.

The two companies reckon NaviRobo will be of particular interest to those with hearing impediments and the elderly, who might have trouble following audio navigation prompts or complex on-screen displays. It's expected to go on sale within the next 2-3 years, priced at around 10,000 yen ($110).