Robot can make a conversation.
The humanoid robot, named Kirobo, is scheduled to blast into space around sunrise from an island off southern Japan on board a supply ship bound for the International Space Station.
The robot was created as the world’s first talking companion for astronauts, in particular for Koichi Wakata, who will become the firstJapanese commander of ISS when he heads to space later this year.
Kirobo, whose name is derived from the Japanese words for “hope” and “robot”, is the creation of a conglomeration of companies and scientists with the support of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
The pint-sized dimensions of the robot - who stands just 13.4 inches tall and weighs 2.2 pounds – belie the sophistication of the cutting edge technology it contains.
Scientists from the University of Tokyo created the robot hardware and movement, Toyota Motor Corp was behind the voice recognition technology while conversation content was created by Dentsu the advertising agency.
Replies