If you thought you have seen your share of creepy Japanese robots, think again. During last week’s Tokyo International Gift Show Spring, a robot venture called Little Island showcased their Sokkuri Werukamu Robotto [JP], little robots that look just like you or whoever you want them to look like. And the best thing is Non-Japanese can order them, too.
Little Island is marketing the robots as the perfect tool for lovers who suffer from long-distance relationships or parents who can’t see their children for long periods of time.
The wedding robot is especially interesting (see video below). All you need to do in order to get a personalized mini robot is send the company a picture and voice sample of the person to be robotized and it will then serve as a mini version of the bride or groom.
The robot is able to do an (ugly) dance, play music and converse and greet people in the voice of its human counterpart. Standing 70cm tall, it features a mic, two 1.5W speakers, a motion sensor and four motors. Little Island also throws in a 80GB HDD, 512MB RAM, Windows XP and AlifeEngine, a piece of software produced by the company itself.
There are more robots in the line-up (have a look at their Japanese online shop). According to the company, the wedding robot takes around 6 weeks to make and costs $5,500 plus shipping, which sounds like a lot of money to me. Simpler Look-alike-dolls (which can’t dance) just cost $800 plus shipping though.