Robo Rover
A new breed of pets comes in a box and can be switched off – no food, no fuss
TOKYO — Japan, home of the “kawaii” cult of cute, has always had a soft spot for companion robots, in contrast to the more industrial or mechanical types used for assembly lines, surgeries and military missions.
Three relatively affordable home robots from Japanese makers target the elderly, kids and hardworking salarymen pressed for time. Unlike real children or pets, they have off switches and don’t need constant attention, dog food or cat litter. Kirobo Mini Toyota Motor Corp’s Kirobo Mini is small enough to fit in your hand and looks like a child clad in a space outfit. It’s apt to repeat phrases like, “I missed that; can you say that again?” and “Hmmmmm ...”
Its name combines the word for “hope”, or “kibo”, and “robot”. And it’s designed for cuteness, wiggling seated on its behind, jiggling its arms.
The robot understands only Japanese so far, but can be programmed to recognize your name and the name you give it. Such functions are managed through a smartphone app that updates its software periodically so Kirobo Mini will get “smarter” — growing up, so-to-speak. Aibo Sony Corp’s Aibo robot dog is back with all its disarming and unpredictable charm.
The Japanese maker of the PlayStation video game consoles pulled the plug on Aibo 12 years ago, drawing an outcry from global fans.
The improved Aibo has more natural looking eyes, thanks to advanced OLED, or organic light-emitting diodes. It can cock its head and sway its hips at more varied, subtle angles.
Aibo went on sale on Jan 11 in Japan. The first batch of advance orders, in November, sold out in 30 minutes. Overseas sales are being considered but are still undecided.
Qoobo (pronounced kooboh)
A fuzzy, huggable cushion with a whimsically swishy tail, Qoobo is designed to deliver a calming therapeutic effect for the cat-lover who can’t have a real kitty.
This companion robot is ingenuous in its simplicity — much is purposely left to the imagination: It has no face or whiskers, no legs and no purr, just a responsive tail that wags slowly when it is gently stroked and energetically when it is tapped, so it could be a dog.
“Some say this reflects the Japanese cultural ability to appreciate negative space in art,” says Tsubasa Tominaga of Tokyo-based Yukai Engineering, which designed Qoobo.
He said Japanese prefer to interact with cute things, not digital assistants on impersonal gadgets, as Apple does with Siri and Amazon with Alexa.