Robi jr can converse and sing one of 50 songs at any time

Oct 16, 2014 07:17 GMT  ·  By

Humanoid robots may not be easy to create in full size, but bipedal locomotion is easier to enable when you don't have to worry about a lot of weight and likelihood of tipping over or tripping. Saying that toy makers are the ones best capable of implementing current robotic science might sound a bit crazy though.

However, this actually seems to be the case, at least in Japan. Or perhaps that is the case there because it's Japan we're talking about. That country seems to have a special affinity for robots and every derivative of them, like mecha and high-tech suits.

In any case, a toy maker calling itself Tomy has introduced a small humanoid bot called Robi jr. Don't let its small size and inert face fool you, he's smarter than he looks.

In fact, the robot is a fair bit more intelligent than many techno toys out there, being capable of holding a conversation. Not to the same extent as humans of course, but more than enough for kids.

The Robi jr

The robot is 200 mm tall, which puts it at around 7.9 inches according to the US system. It is supposed to resemble a six-year-old kid, but we'll let you decide if there is any resemblance.

The bot has large, round soulful eyes, a smiling face and an internal computer that can sing 50 songs and talk to your kid and you using around 1,000 phrases. It can also move its limbs and head, of course.

The bot even has voice recognition if you can believe it, and can inform you of the time when you ask it things thanks to the integrated calendar functions.

Moreover, it even has a “mood” meter, which can determine whether or not it will consent to singing a song. When it's in a good mood, it will answer your request for a song with “Okay. Then let's sing along together” but if it's not in the “mood” it will say “No. Ask me later because I am busy.”

It's not perfectly clear what determines the mood, but we're totally certain that the bot sells with a large manual that explains everything to you. That's assuming you actually buy the thing.

Availability and pricing

The Robi jr robot from Tomy, invented by Tomotaka Takahashi (a pretty well-known roboticist), will be available for order and in-store purchase starting next year (2015). Its price will be of 15,000 yen, which corresponds to roughly $140 / €110.