Scientists in Japan are working to be the first to send a talking robot into space. The robot companion is intended to help astronauts stave off loneliness while undergoing long periods of isolation during their extraterrestrial tours.
"Nowadays, robots are a lot closer to us in our daily lives," says a report by Japanese broadcaster NHK.
"Kirobo," the talking robot companion in question, earns its name from a portmanteau of the Japanese word for "hope" ("kibo") and "robot." The Kirobo will not be available for commercial sales, as its developers at the Japanese Space Agency (JAXA) have worked on it for some time with the explicit purpose of sending the bot to the International Space Station in summer 2013.
The robot will literally "live" in the Kibo module of the station.
"Kirobo will not just visit the station," says the NHK report. "Its mission is to heal astronauts. Many who stay in Space for a long time suffer from loneliness. The people who made the Kirobo hope it will provide some company."
The Kirobo is 30 cm. (11.8 in.) tall and weighs one kilogram (2.2 pounds). This specialty talking robot companion is currently undergoing rigorous tests such as those that monitor the Kirobo's feasibility in a zero-gravity state artificially created inside an aircraft.
Before being sent into space, the Kirobo will need to be equipped with "the latest voice recognition technology." The bot will only speak in Japanese.
Koichi Wakata is the astronaut who will be on this mission and will perform an act that no one else has ever accomplished: Talking to a robot in outer space. Wakata's stint in space will last six months.
Kirobo's lead designer, Tamotaka Takahashi, says he hopes "the pair will become buddies," noting that while some people may have trouble communicating with "square gadgets" like iPhone voice recognition software Siri, they have no trouble speaking with pets.
"Once [Kirobo is] in Space, we won't be able to fix it," says Takahashi who is also a researcher at the University of Tokyo and founded humanoid robot company Robo Garage. "So we must make sure it's in perfect condition. I hope it reaches the Station all right and starts working without any problems."
In addition to speaking, the Kirobo bot will recognize faces, mix liquids and relay information back to scientists on Earth. Project leaders for the Kirobo hope this experiment in space will lead to a better understanding of how robot companions can be used for "other members of society" back on Earth, such as the elderly.
Although the whole idea of sending a talking robot companion into space smacks of a certain Twilight Zone episode, it will certainly be interesting to see what the actual affect on a human being will be.
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