Toyota Motor Corp (ADR) (NYSE:TM) has launched a new mini robot called Kirobo.
The piece of hardware is not exactly an artificial intelligence robot–instead, it offers the same kind of emotional support that a stuffed doll would.
For $390, Japanese consumers can buy this 4-foot-tall robot that reportedly has the intelligence of a five-year-old. The product is designed for people who don’t have someone they can talk to on a regular basis.
Toyota’s move is in response to Japan’s growing group of young singles and elderly people who don’t have many people surrounding them. Kirobo’s name is designed around the word “kibo,” or “hope” and “robot.”
It cannot walk on its own, but you can carry it as you take a leisurely stroll. Alternately, you can place Kirobo on the passenger seat of your car as you drive to and from work with the robot responding to you.
Preorders for the product begin later this year, with shipping starting sometime next year. You can connect the Toyota robot to your smartphone using a special software application.
Kirobo includes several modern-tech capabilities, including Bluetooth, a speaker, a microphone and the ability to turn its head once it hears a voice.
It does not come equipped with facial recognition software, thus making it incapable of distinguishing one person from the other. One Kirobo per person is recommended.
TM stock is down 0.7% Monday.
