Today Sega Toys presented their newest invention, a plastic plant called Pekoppa [JP, PDF].

The plant will stay inactive until someone communicates with it. If you start speaking, the stem begins to bend. The movement is supposed to resemble a human being’s nod. An IC chip placed in the pot is able to identify rythms in human speech. A current is sent through the stem, which bends and stretches accordingly.

According to Sega Toys’ official press release, the target group consists of office workers and people in desperate need of two-way communication. Pekoppa’s official tagline is “Heal yourself with this plant, which is a good listener!”.

The Japan-only toy is available from September 30th and will cost $22. Sega Toys hopes to sell a total of 200,000 Pekoppas in the first year.