Japan’s largest automaker Toyota will begin selling a 10-centimeter-tall (4 inch) talking robot called Kirobo Mini across Japan in early 2017. This Robot is Priced at around $390, and it is small enough to fit into a car cupholder.
Toyota is billing Kirobo as capable of responding to human emotions while engaging in conversation and moving its head and hands.
Toyota will position Kirobo as a communication partner developed for companionship just as surveys of Japanese consumers show a declining affinity for automobiles. One poll by Japan’s automakers association released in April found about 30 percent of respondents under age 30 had no interest in cars at all.
Kirobo Mini is a miniature communication partner developed to provide companionship. It fits in the palm of the hand and is only 10cm high when seated. It turns its head toward the person speaking and engages in casual conversation while moving its head and hands. Its compact size means it can be taken just about anywhere, helping it to fulfill its role as a cuddly companion always on hand for heart-touching communication.
Kiboro Mini’s range of gestures and conversation abilities are mainly made possible by connecting Kirobo Mini via Bluetooth to smartphones installed with a dedicated app. A built-in camera enables Kirobo Mini to recognize people’s facial expressions, through which it tries to detect their emotions so that it can accordingly adjust its manner of speaking and moving. Kirobo Mini can also converse based on information drawn from the vehicle or home.
Kiboro Mini is a manifestation of the Toyota Heart Project, which aims to develop a distinctly humanlike interaction between man and machine in a format different from automobiles based on the same fundamental concept of “Inspiring the Heart, Inspiring You”, which Toyota applies to its automobile manufacturing.
By providing people opportunities to live with Kirobo Mini, Toyota hopes to contribute to making life and society more abundant.
Kirobo Mini will be on display at the IT and electronics exhibition “CEATEC JAPAN 2016 ‘Connecting Society, Creating the Future'” to be held from October 4 to October 7. Visitors will be able to experience communicating with Kirobo Mini.
Kirobo Mini converses while understanding what is being said to it, as well as interprets the facial expressions of the speaker. It adjusts its gestures and tone of voice to match the conversation, and, moreover, makes communication more meaningful by blinking and looking at the person speaking.
Kirobo Mini remembers user likes and dislikes and shared travels. It is able to gradually adjust its points of conversation to make them more suitable for the user.
Kirobo Mini fits in the palm of the hand and is only 10cm high when seated. Its compact size means it can be enjoyed in one’s home, car or elsewhere.
Based on information about the vehicle or home obtained through connected services, Kirobo Mini can provide more-caring comments, such as: “That was a long drive. Good job.” or “Welcome home! A warm bath is waiting.”*
A larger version of Kirobo spent 18 months on board the International Space Station on a journey that ended in February 2015. Before returning to Earth, Kirobo became the first robot to speak in space.
