In 2001: A Space Odyssey, HAL 9000 was a robotic computer who played the bad guy. The thought of that might make you skeptical of what advanced AI can do in the final frontier. But, we've put all our concerns aside, because Toyota has built a talking robot of its own, and when have they ever let us down here in Salem, Oregon?
The robot, named Kirobo, is just one foot tall, and weighs two pounds. He's been given voice recognition ability, which the automaker also hopes it will be able to use on the next-generation entune infotainment system available on new Toyota models. Kirobo is going to leave Earth soon and head up to the International Space Station where he'll assist the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). While there it will undergo further testing, the hope that it will learn to have a conversation, and perform tasks in the space station. Another robot, called Mirata will be stationed on Earth and do the same things, but with mission control.
It's quite cool if you ask us at Capitol Toyota, as we love to see Toyota have its hand in the advancement of so many innovative products. It's only going to lead to bigger and better things from the models here in our showroom.
To learn more about vehicles like the Corolla, Yaris and Sienna, stop in and see us during regular business hours. Our team is happy to discuss any model that grabs your attention, answer any questions you might have, and set up test drives at your convenience.
[INFO] http://www.roadandtrack.com/go/news/go-news-toyota-to-send-a-talking-robot-to-space
