Toyota Will Start Selling Its Miniature Robot That Keeps You Company, Kirobo Min

For those of you unfamiliar with the Kirobo, it is a “communication partner,” which will be available at all Toyota dealers across Japan in 2017. However, designated dealers will be able to order it for their customers, and it is priced at 39,800 Japanese Yen without taxes.

There is no word on availability for other countries, but making a press release about a robot that will only be for sale in its native country is not Toyota’s style.

The idea behind the Kirobo Mini is to provide a solution for those that need companionship. It can sit in the palm of your hand, and is only 10 cm tall when seated.

This little robot can turn its head towards the person speaking to it. It does more than just listening, as it is capable of engaging in a casual conversation using standard Japanese. The latter is probably the reason why you cannot get one for Christmas this year.

Kirobo does a little more than just meaningless conversations, as it can be paired by Bluetooth to a smartphone and be taught to recognize humans and their facial expressions. Its manner of speech and motion can be adjusted live thanks to the cameras and software that help it interpret human emotions.

The little robot developed by Toyota will remember you shared travels. Because it is so small and light, it is practical enough to be able to travel with you.

Toyota says you can keep it in your car to accompany on long drives, as well as leaving it at home to have someone listen to you until your significant other arrives.

If there’s nobody else coming home that evening, you can still keep a conversation with Kirobo for as long as its batteries can handle the chat. It can speak for two and a half hours continuously, which is more than your average human, and its battery is charged in three hours.

Even if you out-talk it, it will be ready for more conversations in a short while, faster than a human that needs to sleep or has someplace else to be. In a way, it is like Siri, but without any sassy comments and opinions.