Hitachi's talking robot

Remember those Tiny Tots talking dolls your big sister had as a child? Well Hitachi has taken a leaf out of their design book and delivered a talkative new robot Emiew, which will be displayed starting 9th June at the 2005 World Exposition, Aichi, Japan.

Apparently the robot can chat to people within a distance of about 1 metre after determining their locations and hearing their voices through an audio sensor. The robot is equipped with wheels, allowing it to walk at a speed of 6km an hour, about the same pace as a person walking fast.

Hitachi isn’t saying anything about its vocabulary yet but we reckon it might just be a little more comprehensive than Tiny Tots repertoire of’ feed me’, ‘change my nappy’, ‘get down to Baby Gap and buy me loads of designer tops, you cheapskate.’

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