Toyota to Sell ‘Cuddly Companion’ Robot in Japan
Toyota to Sell ‘Cuddly Companion’ Robot in Japan : TOKYO— Toyota Motor Corp. plans to sell a pint-size robot in Japan called Kirobo Mini that is designed to provide companionship to people.
The robot goes on sale for ¥39,800 yen ($392) this winter in Toyota dealerships in Tokyo and the area around the company’s headquarters in Nagoya.
Kirobo, a combination of the Japanese word for hope and robot, can hold basic conversations while blinking its oversize eyes and wagging its limbs. It also comes with a cradle that fits in a car’s cupholder, “helping it fulfill its role as a cuddly companion always on hand for heart-touching communication,” the company said.
Japan has long had a love affair with robots. SoftBank Group Corp.’s Pepper robot and Sharp Corp.’s combination robot-smartphone are among the products that have gone on the domestic market recently, while Honda Motor Co. has a robot called Asimo that once kicked a soccer ball with President Barack Obama.
In videos demonstrating Kirobo’s potential, the tiny robot entertains children, chats over tea with an elderly lady and gives a pep talk to a fresh college grad as she heads to a job interview.
Toyota says the robot can identify human emotions. If you’re feeling down, the robot will wobble about, look you in the eye and ask: “Why are you sad?”
“As you live together, you will come to love and be kind towards the Kirobo Mini, just as it does to you,” says the video’s narrator.
The robot also has some automotive applications. If the driver brakes suddenly, the robot will yell: “That was scary!”
Toyota said it hoped to use what it learns from Kirobo to make communication between humans and machines more like communication between people.
Source : http://www.wsj.com/articles/toyota-to-sell-cuddly-companion-robot-in-japan-1475486949
