This article was taken from the February 2014 issue of Wired magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by subscribing online.
Designed by Japanese engineer and University of Tokyo professor Tomotaka Takahashi, the 35-cm tall, 1kg toy shown here is Robi the robot. He has a vocabulary of 270 Japanese words and can understand more than 200. He can also dance and show emotion by changing the colour of his eyes -- nd you can put him together yourself.
Last February, Italian publishers DeAgostini began distributing the various parts of Robi in Japan, along with a weekly ¥1,990 (£12) magazine, so readers could start assembling him; in June this year, after 70 issues, Robi will be complete. The company has already sold about £50 million worth of issues in Japan. "Among new markets are Italy, Taiwan and Germany, where the robot arrives any minute now," says Alessandro Belloni, managing director of DeAgostini. "Then the UK, US, France and Spain."
The robot can turn his head and pelvis 360 degrees. Microphones in his ears detect the location of a speaker and he will automatically turn his head towards him or her. He also has a built-in IR emitter in his forehead so that he can function as a universal remote -- so Robi can control your TV. Takahashi's previous robots include Kirobo, who is now on the ISS. "Until now, we always paid too much attention to robots' functionality," says Takahashi. "With Robi, I tried to focus on communication and emotions.
Robi has no practical function, except the pleasure of those who share their time with him."
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
