The eccentric billionaire, Yusaku Maezawa, who made his fortune through the Japanese e-commerce fashion site Zozotown, announced last month that his investment fund is buying Japanese robotics startup Groove X, which makes a product called Lovot, a combination of the words “love” and “robot.” Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The pet-sized companion robots aim to stir an “instinct to love” in its human customers, according to the company’s website, with potential use cases in nursing homes and with children. As the pandemic raged, the so-called “emotional” robots also found new purpose in providing companionship to those who have been forced to stay apart from others, according to the company.
The wide-eyed devices roll around on wheels and have more than 50 sensors to respond to stimuli from humans (whom it distinguishes via a thermal camera) through machine learning technology, according to the company. The robot is currently only available for sale in Japan.
The price starts at $2,825 for a single device, plus a monthly service fee of approximately $80.
I – Word Understanding
Eccentric – a person of unconventional and strange views or behavior
Stimuli – something that causes activity
Thermal camera– a non-contact device that detects heat and converts it into a visual image
II – Have Your Say
1, Describe and share your thoughts on the following robots:
a, Pepper
b, Aibo
c, Orihime
d, Lovot
e, Other robots you know
2, How useful are robots in our society? What are the advantages of having a robot as a companion rather than another human being?
3, If you can design and program your own robot, what would it be like?
870 Eccentric Japanese billionaire now betting that ’emotional’ robots can heal your heart
