This Is No Small Wonder
Workers putting together the robo-baby boy.
“The automated doll developed at the University of Tsukuba, called Yotara, giggles and “wakes up” when a rattle is shaken.
He sulks and dozes off like a real baby and smiles when his stomach is rubbed. The robot can also sneeze and have a runny nose, thanks to a heated water pump system…
“We wanted to create a new type of robot that is soft, cuddly and cute,” said project leader Hiroki Kunimura. “We’d like people to experience the innocent, joyful expressions typical of small babies.”
“Through this experience, it would be great if some people started feeling that they wanted to have their own baby, if they started feeling that working is not everything.”
Japan’s birth rate is among the lowest in the developed world at 1.37%, compared to 2.12% in the United States and 1.84% in Britain.”
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