Robot cheerleaders demonstrate today's advanced car technology

SINGAPORE -- They're cute and cheery, but are also packed with some of the advanced auto technology we may not be aware of.

This team of 10 robot cheerleaders from Japanese electronics maker Murata was on show here on Thursday. Each robot balances freely on a ball and is able to roll around in formation with the others while staying upright.

Koichi Yoshikawa, the spokesperson for Murata's development team, told Mashable that the cheerleaders each contain three gyro sensors working at a rate of 1,000 calculations per second to keep their bodies upright on the balls and move them in the right direction.

The robots communicate with two panels equipped with ultrasonic and infrared sensors (similar to what the Xbox Kinect uses) that recognize them and synchronize them with the computer program.

"This prevents them from colliding," said Yoshikawa.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

The Japanese electronics firm has recently been trotting out similar humanoid creations including a bicycle-riding robot in an effort to explain its products and mission to more people.

Murata makes these sensors and other components for a variety of industrial clients, including car manufacturers, that use the gyro sensors for electronic stability control.

Yoshikawa said that the sensors are used to steady camera lenses through vibrations.

He said that the firm's sales to the automotive industry have of late been increasing 10 percent year-over-year and that it expects to continue aggressively courting carmakers. 

But for now, automotive electronics make up just 12.7 percent of Murata's 1,207 billion yen (US$12 billion) in annual revenue. The bulk of revenue, 60 percent, comes from communications components sold to smartphone, laptop and tablet makers. 

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