Kirobo, a little robot that was built in Japan, is scheduled for launch at the ISS on August or September 2013. This advanced humanoid robot that is able to converse with humans, will take part in the first robot-to-human conversation in space.
Measuring at only 13.4 inches tall, Kirobo also comes equipped with state of the art voice recognition technology, natural language processing, facial recognition, a camera and an emotion sensor.
Yorichika Nishijima, the Kirobo project manager said, "Russia was the first to go outer space, the U.S. was the first to go to the moon, we want Japan to be the first to send a robot-astronaut to space that can communicate with humans".
Interestingly, when asked what its dream is, Kirobo responded, "I want to help create a world where humans and robots can live together".
The project team chose the name "Kirobo" from more than 2,452 entries submitted by interested fans of the project. Kirobo's name comes from a combination of the Japanese word for hope, "kibo," and the word "robot."
The project team chose the name "Kirobo" from more than 2,452 entries submitted by interested fans of the project. Kirobo's name comes from a combination of the Japanese word for hope, "kibo," and the word "robot."
Following the trip, Kirobo is expected to return back on Earth on December 2014.
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