About three months ago, I blogged an ugly and clumsy robotic dog a Japanese company demonstrated to the press in this country as a prototype. But now, after about 4 months in development, said robot is not only technically ready but it also made a leap forward in terms of cuteness.

Osaka-based Daisen Denshi Kogyo [JP] named its creation Dog Wan (“Wan” means bow-wow in Japanese but in this case also stands for “Watch, Assist, Nurse”). It’s available in Japan since last week.

The makers say the robot is deliberately designed like an old-fashioned robot to make it look friendlier and less threatening. Dog Wan is 530mm long and stands 700mm tall (weight: 5kg, 35kg less than the June prototype).

It moves via 24 axes (2 in the neck, 2 in the tail and the rest is incorporated into the legs). It can shake its tail, move its head, run around, carry your shopping bag in its mouth and also place its paw in your hand.

Japanese people can lease Dog Wan for a period of 5 years (for $185 and $280 monthly).