JAPAN: A Japanese company unveils a babysitter robot

Record ID: 401609

  • Title: JAPAN: A Japanese company unveils a babysitter robot
  • Date: 27th October 2006
  • Summary: (L!2) TOKYO, JAPAN (OCTOBER 25, 2006) (REUTERS) WIDE OF NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) KEIJI YAMADA, GENERAL MANAGER OF CORPORATE COMMUNICATION SECTION AT NEC SAYING: "At a time of falling birthrates and ageing populations, the demand for watching over and protecting small children and elderly adults is growing yearly."
  • Embargoed: 11th November 2006 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Japan
  • Country: Japan
  • Topics: Industry
  • Reuters ID: LVAD8ZGTYLK41CAL7YYLFQW4W3O2
  • Story Text: Japanese electronic maker NEC and mobile phone company NTT DoCoMo unveiled their latest 'babysitter' robot in Tokyo on Wednesday (October 25).
    The childcare robot "Papero" which was named after acronym of "Partner-type Personal Robot" can play with children not only by singing and dancing but also by listening and responding -- thanks to its two CCD (Charge Couple Devices) cameras and high-end CPU (Central Processing Unit).
    But that's not all. Parents worried about their children's safety can give the robot a call from their mobile phone when they're out, to monitor events at home through a camera situated behind the robot's eyes.
    Owners can also communicate with and through the robot by e-mail, allowing the robot to convey messages to their children with simple words and phrases such as "You did a good job" -- or they can also ask the robot to sing to the children.
    "At a time of falling birthrates and ageing populations, the demand for watching over and protecting small children and elderly adults is growing yearly," said Keiji Yamada, one of the robot's developers.
    While the company still has no plans to put the robot on sale -- since it's still in the trial stage -- Yamada said it was only a matter of time before it comes into practical use.
    The companies hope to upgrade it in the near future as a ubiquitous caretaker robot for both children and elderly adults.
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