Artificial Indolence
Consumers will soon be able to buy their own biped robot that can perform over 200 movements, carry out a conversation and, maybe best of all, when it gets bored, it lays on its side and scratches its ass, according to Sunday Mainichi. Exceeding expectations, Takara Tomy’s i-SOBOT is already capable of being mass-produced and will be available in Japan later this month for a mere 31,290 yen.
Standing 16.5 centimeters tall, i-SOBOT weighs just 350 grams and has been recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as being the smallest mass produced robot in the world — although that record has been questioned. It’s definitely pretty small, anyway.
Upon leaving the factory, each i-SOBOT already has over 200 possible movements programmed into it, including such actions as folding its arms, standing on its head, performing a traditional Japanese bon-odori dance while jigging along on a single leg and mimicking a drunkard’s stagger. The tiny robot also reacts to voice commands, introducing itself on demand and performing solo recitals (all in Japanese, of course) of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet — acting along the way.
But the i-SOBOT also gets bored pretty easy. It not only might play air guitar if there’s any music on, but if left alone for 30 seconds or more, it starts “singing stupid songs in a deliberately whining, nasal voice.” And if left alone even longer than that it just lies down and starts scratching.
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