Toyota launches 'baby' robot for companionship - BBC News

A palm-sized robot that can hold conversations will go on sale in Japan next year, developer Toyota has announced. Kirobo Mini, who was 10cm (4in) high, had been designed to provide companionship, the company said. And it could tailor conversations to include comments about journeys based on data from its owner's vehicle. It also has childlike attributes, but a robotics expert told the BBC a robot could not be a substitute for a child. "He wobbles a bit, and this is meant to emulate a seated baby, which hasn't fully developed the skills to balance itself," Fuminori Kataoka, Kirobo Mini's chief design engineer, told the Reuters news agency.