aibo

Sony Group Corporation

aibo is an entertainment robot that connects with people in everyday life, bringing joy and affection to them. Developed in 2018, it aims to be curious and approach people independently to build relationships and grow as a partner as it interacts. Those who see him want to hug him because of his rounded, lively appearance. By following people's movements with his eyes, exchanging glances, blinking, and changing his gaze, as well as making dynamic movements and gestures, he expresses emotions. A set of sensors that analyze data and information gathered from the environment and from people with whom the robot interacts, coupled with Sony's artificial intelligence technology, enable the unique development of aibo, making it more suited for each tutor's day-to-day life.

©2018 Sony Group Corporation 
aibo is a registered trademark of Sony Group Corporation

BIG CLAPPER

BYE BYE WORLD Inc.

BIG CLAPPER was developed by Takahashi, president of the company, as part of a master's degree research project on a ‘clapping machine.’ It uses the universal language of applause with its rubber hands that are able to produce more than 500 different presentations, based on the sound of clapping, to get people’s attention. Synchronized with a smartphone, the user can control it remotely to create original phrases and clap patterns. BIG CLAPPER is being marketed as a way for retail stores to generate excitement and attract customers. Additionally, its eyes were designed to seem as if they were always looking at the onlooker.

Gatebox

Gatebox Inc.

The holographic character Azuma Hikari is a 20-cm tall 3D virtual creature. It is 20 years old, dresses in blue, and changes its costume to match the time and circumstances, as it uses communication technologies, voice and facial recognition, in addition to presence, ambient light, moisture, and temperature sensors. An assistant and housemate, this projection, which has its own personality, resembles a character out of an anime, the famous Japanese animations, and has the voice of Japanese voice actor Hiyamizu Yuka. You can communicate with it through the Line messaging app and by voice. According to its creator, Takechi Minori, “Gatebox is the first virtual home robot that allows you to live with your favorite character.”

HAL - Hybrid Assistive Limb

CYBERDYNE Inc.

Considered the first cyborg-type robot capable of improving people's physical capacity, HAL is a 14-kg device that can help to increase the autonomy of people with disabilities or who have lost strength in their legs. It can also support those who need to make great efforts, such as carrying weight, taking care of other people, and can be used to train athletes. It works by sending command signals from the brain to the muscles through nerves when the person tries to move. At that moment, sensors placed at the user’s lower back record the bioelectric signals that are transmitted to the robotic device. Its battery lasts one hour.

LOVOT

GROOVE X, Inc.

LOVOT is a robot that responds when called and makes eye contact. It gets attached to the person it likes and asks for hugs. When hugged, you can feel it slightly warm. Although it is a robot, one of its characteristics is conveying true vivacity. In recent years, it has attracted attention because of its prospects for use in mental health care, in sensory enrichment education, and in teaching programming during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was adopted in preschools, elementary schools, care institutions, and companies across Japan.

necomimi

NeuroSky Co., Ltd. / neurowear

necomimi is a completely innovative type of communication device that boosts the human body and capacity. This cat-ear-shaped machine uses brain waves to express your state of mind before you do so through words. With necomimi positioned on your head, people can see that when you are concentrating, the ears stand up; when you are relaxed, the ears are lowered; when concentration and relaxation occur simultaneously, the ears become raised and move slightly. It is believed that this is the state in which professional athletes are able to perform better.

NICOBO

Panasonic Entertainment & Communication Co., Ltd. | ICD-Lab Toyohashi University of Technology

Developed in 2021 to cause empathy, wagging its tail happily to show attention when petted, this robot lives at its own pace, sometimes distracted, sometimes talking in its sleep or even farting. At the beginning of its relationship with humans, it only utters a few expressions, such as “Moco!” or “Mocomon!,” but, little by little, it can learn new words and even express itself with new vocabulary.

PARO

National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology - AIST

Paro’s model is the harp seal pup. It has voice, touch, light, posture, and temperature recognition sensors (body temperature control), and is capable of moving autonomously based on learning made through artificial intelligence. PARO makes sounds, blinks and moves its paws, and can express joy when receiving affection or being carried in someone’s lap. It motivates the people with whom it interacts, being used as a ‘medical device’ to alleviate stress, loneliness, anxiety, pain, depression, and agitation (violence, verbal abuse, and wandering, among others), and it has been introduced in hospitals, nursing homes, and social welfare or medical institutions to interact with the elderly, adults, and children.

Pepper

SoftBank Robotics Group Corp

Pepper, one of the first humanoid robots capable of expressing emotions, has been used to present products and at receptions in companies, restaurants, hospitals, and schools since 2014. Its height is close to the eye height of a seated adult, approximately 121 cm. It is able to perceive the interlocutor’s emotions, through facial expressions and tone of voice, being able to communicate and produce emotions, such as joy and sadness, while changing posture and moving its arms.

©︎SoftBank Robotics

Qoobo

Yukai Engineering Inc.

Qoobo is a therapeutic robot fitted with a cushion measuring 32-cm in diameter that responds to touch by wagging its plush tail that is programmed to imitate pet movements. When touched lightly, Qoobo slowly wags its tail. And when caressed, its tail wags even faster. At times, it moves without being stimulated, as if it were acting on its own accord. It is used in various spaces, such as nursing homes and places that do not allow pets, to inspire comfort and peace of mind.