The Breakthrough
A prototype robot that works just like a smartphone has been revealed by Sharp, and it's planning to go on sale during the first half of 2016.
Standing at just 20 centimeters, Robohon (short for robot and phone) contains a projector, camera, and an LCD screen. It also includes a speaker, a microphone and facial and voice recognition systems. A demonstration last Tuesday at the Ceatec electronics show in Tokyo showed how it responded to instructions by placing a call to a person, taking a photo and displaying it through the projector. The robot even did a dance afterwards.
While it's clear that the technology is still in its infancy, it's clear that Sharp sees an opportunity in combining the capabilities of a smartphone with a robotic exterior. Whether this product will carve out a valuable niche in the market is yet to be seen.
Share This Article