Japan, home of the "kawaii" cult of cute, has always had a soft spot for companion robots, in contrast to the more industrial or mechanical types used for assembly lines, surgeries and military missions. The Associated Press spent some time recently with three relatively affordable home robots from Japanese makers that target the elderly, kids and hard-working salarymen pressed for time. Unlike real children or pets, they have off switches and don't need constant attention, dog food or cat litter. Toyota Motor Corp.'s Kirobo Mini is small enough to fit in your hand and looks like a child clad in a space outfit. It's apt to repeat phrases like, "I missed that; can you say that again?" and "Hmmmmm ....." Its name combines the word for "hope," or "kibo," and "robot."

Toyota Motor Corp. has long tried to pitch its vehicles as "irreplaceable companions." But in this age of artificial intelligence, the company is taking the man-machine relationship to a new level. Enter Toyota's newest companion: the palm-sized Kirobo Mini robot. The 4-inch-tall black-and-white talking cherub, complete with cutesy yellow eyes, red boots and a Toyota logo emblazoned on its chest, takes its name from the Japanese words for "hope" and "robot." Toyota plans to start selling the robot through dealerships in Japan next year for 39,800 ( 390).

Small enough to fit in the cup holder of your Corolla, the robot is described by Toyota (TM) as "a miniature communication partner developed to provide companionship." Named Kirobo Mini, the 4-inch high gizmo can apparently chat away and even respond to facial expressions. "Oh no, what has happened?" it asks in response to a young woman's downcast face in a Toyota video. The world's biggest automaker plans to put Kirobo on sale in dealerships across Japan next year for around 400 before tax. It didn't mention any plans for introducing it in other countries.

You walk into the break room and sit down for a cup of hot brew. The boss is there, flipping through his personal Instagram account. You think about asking about the weather, but he abruptly marches off, heading to a meeting. Wait, this person is your boss? What seems like a low emotional intelligence (or EQ) could also be a sign of someone who simply doesn't care about your day or that you recently knocked a sales presentation out of the park.

Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Corp wants consumers to connect with mini talking robots. The talking robot called Kirobi Mini, whose name comes from "hope," is just as smart as a 5-year-old. The 4-inch-tall Kirobo Mini is small enough to be carried around. When people place the Kirobo Mini in their cars, it encourages safe driving by saying phrases like "Oops!" when the driver steps on the brakes suddenly, and "Don't leave me behind", when left in the vehicle. The Kirobi Mini comes equipped with Bluetooth, camera and microphone, and can connect to a smartphone, but needs to be installed with a software application.

A baby robot designed to "invoke an emotional connection" has been unveiled in Japan, where plummeting birth rates have left many couples without children. The Kirobo Mini was created by Toyota's non-automotive department and is equiped with artificial intelligence and a camera so it can recognise the face of the person speaking to it and respond. "He wobbles a bit, and this is meant to emulate a seated baby which hasn't fully developed the skills to balance itself," said Fuminori Kataoka, Kirobo Mini's chief design engineer. "This vulnerability is meant to invoke an emotional connection." Toyota plans to sell Kirobo Mini, which blinks its eyes and speaks with a baby-like high-pitched voice, for 39,800 yen ( 300/US 390) in Japan next year.

The new robot from Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Corp. can't do much but chatter in a high-pitched voice. But the 390, 4-inch-tall, doll-like Kirobo Mini -- whose name comes from "kibo," or "hope," and "robot" -- supposedly has the smarts of a 5-year-old. Fuminori Kataoka, general manager in charge of the project, says its value is emotional, going from home to car to the outdoors as a faithful companion, although the owner must do all the walking and driving. Preorders start later this year. Shipments are set for next year.

In Episode 7 of "The Twilight Zone," a convicted prisoner falls in love with a humanoid robot while serving his sentence on an abandoned asteroid. In Spike Jonze's drama "Her," the introverted Theodore Twombly becomes emotionally attached to an artificial intelligence named Samantha. In another story, set in the present day, an automotive company designs a robotic baby and markets it toward childless mothers. On Monday, Toyota Motor Corp debuted Kirobo Mini, a robotic companion small enough to fit in a cupholder. With big eyes and a high-pitched voice, Kirobo is designed to trigger a maternal response from its owner.

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.

Toyota has announced that it'll sell people its adorable Kirobo Mini "communication partner robot" from the end of this year. Otherwise, they'll have to wait until 2017 for the weeny'bots, which are designed to sit in your car's cup holders, to reach store shelves across the country. If you're wondering where you've seen this tech before, don't worry, Toyota sent one into space to hang around the ISS a while ago. Kirobo Mini is intended to offer "companionship" to lonely drivers on long journeys, offering "casual conversation" in standard Japanese. The unit will turn its head to whoever is speaking, nod in agreement and even attempt to analyze your emotions with a built-in camera.