A Kirobo project leader demonstrated how the robot communicates.
Kirobo is the world’s first talking robot in space. He went up in a rocket last month to the International Space Station.
The name Kirobo combines the Japanese words for hope and robot. Kirobo is only 13 inches tall and weighs about 2 pounds. He looks like the Astro Boy character from anime, or Japanese animation. He can walk, talk, and recognize your face and voice.
Scientists built Kirobo as an experiment. They want to see if a robot can be a friend to people who are alone for a long time. Kirobo will be the friend of Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata when he arrives at the Space Station in November. Kirobo will talk with astronaut Wakata in Japanese. The robot will also record their conversations. That way, scientists can study how they communicate.
This special robot works even when floating in space. Objects float in the space station and seem to have no weight. This is because the space station and everything inside it are falling in a circle around Earth. Kirobo will stay in the space station for about one and a half years. When he comes home, he may become a friend to someone on Earth.
Image credit: ©AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi
Related Link
- Kibo Robot Project App
You can download a free app that tracks the orbit of Kirobo.
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