Category: Consumer robots

The Sakadachi Lucky robot dog from Sega Toys responds to 13 different voice commands—not only the basics like “come” and “lie down,” but also “sing” and “headstand.” The headstand is Sakadachi Lucky’s signature move, as sakadachi is the Japanese word for “headstand.” The clever toy dog can also bark Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

A Japanese firm claims to have the solution for lonely elderly people and people with a long distance relationship: a robot doll that looks exactly like your beloved. The robot doll is made based on a photo of a real person. The plastic human can also talk, recognize voices, react to movements, wave and nod.

Robots too are becoming more and more real. Eventually we’ll be able to talk to robots that look exactly like our great-granddad who died a hundred years ago. We’ll be able to ask what it was like to live in that time. It’ll change the world forever, but this too goes step by step. And this is truly child’s play.

Eldery demented people in Japan with a robot seal called Paro. Since Paro showed up in the elderly home Mori-noie two demented ladies found each other in caring for the robot animal. Wherever it appears it creates a better disposition, better social behavior and even improved health. This is proven by long-term research by Paro's inventor Takanori Shibata of the biorobotics department of the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology. Shibata calls his invention an 'Artificial Emotional Creature'.

Our human brains aren’t designed to have feelings for other creatures with our ratio. Feelings are created on a much lower level. We’ll get an emotional bond with this kind of creature that demented elderly people are already displaying. As these creatures get more intelligent, the bond will become stronger.