BEIJING, Nov. 22 (Xinhuanet) -- Japanese engineering giant Hitachi unveiled a new lightweight robot EMIEW designed to run errands in offices that can both walk and talk, media reported Thursday.

    The some 31.5-inch (80 cm) tall, 29-pound (13 kg) EMIEW 2 is able to show how it can scoot on two wheels, get on its knees to move on four wheels and even lift its foot about an inch to step over thresholds and bumps.

    While showing off its ability to understand human speech, a spectator asked where someone was sitting. It responded in a boylike electronic voice: "I will take you there. Follow me."

    Seconds later, when it tried to maneuver between two desks, it smashed into one of them. A demonstrator reached out just in time to catch the robot by its winglike handles before it toppled over.

    Developers said the robot had performed fine on test runs but acknowledged kinks had to be worked out. Besides the collision, it also suddenly stood motionless at one point.

    "We are studying what hurdles need to be overcome to make robots practical," said Hitachi researcher Takashi Teramoto. "One characteristic we feel we need to ensure for robots is safety."

    (Agencies)