Nicobo is a new companion robot
Companion robots are increasing, along with the development of robots for hard and dangerous works. Pet robots can be expensive though, so if you’re looking for something less sophisticated and cheaper, you can take a look at Nicobo by Panasonic, a robot designed to provide happiness.
Nicobo looks like an upside-down bowl inside a sock and at the same time resembles a cat. It also has cute expressive eyes and a wagging tail which may remind you of a penis. It can’t move except for turning from side to side and look up and down because it’s attached to a base. Moreover, Nicobo has a camera for face recognition, multiple directional microphones for voice recognition, touch sensors to detect when it’s being touched, and a light sensor to know when it’s night or day.
Nicobo doesn’t provide special help in doing your chores such as cleaning, it is a simple companion that you can pet or hug, and it can show appreciation by wagging or not depending on its mood because when it’s not in a good mood, it may start farting around you. The robot’s goal is to express gratitude and kindness, making everyone around happy, including itself.
Nevertheless, this robot can also talk but firstly only speaks single words and when it starts to formulate full sentences they are in a sort of baby talk. So, you will never have a long conversation with Nicobo, but speaking with it, you’ll reinforce the feeling you may have with it and the comfort it may give you.
Panasonic released 320 units of this robot for $360 with pre-orders through its own crowdfunding platform with the goal of raising ¥10,000,000 (about $95,000) before production actually starts. Following this investment, the company expects owners to spend around $10 per month to connect it to a smartphone and receive software updates. Not a smart move by the Company for a robot that is supposed to be in your home night and day, since in the long term, it would cost more than robots with more features included. This kind of robot should be a support, not like a streaming service that you can decide to use occasionally, so a companion robot to achieve its aim shouldn’t be like an escort with a monthly fee, even if for a few features.
Source gizmodo.com
