Are you often lonely on the road? Do you sometimes need a companion while driving? What about a robot companion?
Toyota is working on a tiny human robot that could gesture, read your mood and talk to you while you drive, aiding you with tips and providing emotional support when needed. It is 4-inch tall and looks like a cute astronaut. Dubbed Kirobo Mini, the robot is actually small enough to be installed into your car’s cup holder.
The company demonstrated the technology at the Tokyo Motor Show 2015 last week. The robot is a slightly smaller version of the Kirobo robot, 13.4-inch tall and 2.2-pound humanoid, that was sent to the International Space Station in the summer of 2013 to work with Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata and take part in a number of experiments. It was the first robot to hold a conversation in space.
However, the new tiny robot is built for consumers. Like its older brother, Kirobo Mini is designed by renowned Japanese roboticist Tomotaka Takahashi. The name “Kirobo” means “hope” in Japanese. The tiny robot is part of the Toyota Heart Project which is a communication research programme. The project aims to develop a humanlike interaction between man and machines in order to make our lives more enjoyable.
Kirobo Mini could be installed in future Toyota vehicles would able to take in hours of data by watching the user and detecting their moods. Toyota says the robot could help drivers with their emotional needs and could help “driving become a physically and emotionally transformative experience.” The robot has a small built-in camera and can respond to voice requests. Toyota says on its website that people spend 4.3 years of their lives in the car on average and this is equivalent to traveling to the moon and back three times. This is the reason the company believes that a lot can be learned about our emotions and moods in the car. The robot would collect information about driving habits that carmakers could use to develop better features for future cars.
