Skip to main content

Kirobo, the world’s first talking ‘robot astronaut’, heads for International Space Station

kirobo worlds first talking robot astronaut heads for iss
Image used with permission by copyright holder

When Japanese astronaut Koich Wakata arrives at the International Space Station (ISS) later this year, waiting to greet him will be a small robot called Kirobo. Wakata and Kirobo are set to spend many happy hours shooting the breeze together, admiring views of the Earth and generally hanging out just like any other pair of pals.

The world’s first talking humanoid astronaut blasted into space from Japan Sunday morning on a mission to the ISS. Kirobo, which stands 34 centimeters from head-to-toe and weighs only 1 kilogram, is traveling to the ISS together with five tons of supplies for the current crew, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said.

Designed by Tomotaka Takahashi of the University of Tokyo’s Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology (RCAST), Robo Garage of Kyoto University, and ad firm Dentsu, Kirobo and Wakata will conduct the first ever space-based communication experiments between a robot and a human.

Emotional

The talking robot features voice recognition capabilities and telecommunications functions. The ability to process natural language and respond to different facial expressions should also serve to make conversations more natural. Kirobo will even show emotion when it meets with Wakata in space as the pair are already acquainted with one another having met prior to the robot’s departure on Sunday. Yes, there could be tears at the reunion, or whatever Kirobo is designed to do in such emotional circumstances.

Another of Kirobo’s mission aims is to see how, or indeed if, machines like this can be a source of emotional support for people isolated over lengthy periods of time. Japan’s aging population means its citizens are living increasingly solitary lives and so researchers believe robots that can interact and show emotion could prove invaulable in the future.

“I wish for this robot to function as a mediator between a person and machine, or a person and the Internet, and sometimes even between people,” creator Takahashi said.

Prior to launch, Kirobo described his mission to the ISS as “one small step for me, a giant leap for robots.”

[via BBC]

Editors' Recommendations

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
NASA is seeking help to crash the space station at the end of its life
The International Space Station.

The International Space Station (ISS) is set to be decommissioned in 2031, at which point it will have spent three decades orbiting Earth.

But NASA doesn’t want to leave the 356-foot-long (109-meter) facility drifting in orbit as it would add to the growing amount of hazardous space junk already in low-Earth orbit and would risk creating even more if it collided with another object.

Read more
Chocolate mousse in space is more important than you think
Astronaut Andreas Mogensen with his chocolate mousse aboard the space station.

Astronauts on board the International Space Station (ISS) keep a busy schedule during their six-month stints in orbit. Most of their time is taken up with carrying out scientific research in the unique microgravity conditions that the facility provides, while the occasional spacewalk takes care of upgrades and general maintenance.

The research programs include learning about the best way to grow crops off-Earth and aboard the relatively cramped conditions of the orbital facility, an especially important task if we’re ever to send astronauts on long-duration missions to a lunar base or even to Mars.

Read more
NASA’s Frank Rubio has just done something very unusual in space
Frank Rubio aboard the space station.

Frank Rubio aboard the space station. NASA

NASA astronaut Frank Rubio marked one whole year in space on Thursday.

Read more