TOKYO // The first humanoid robot in space may have taken one giant leap for robotkind by making small talk with a human astronaut. But Kirobo the tiny android has something else on its mind: what it will be getting for Christmas.
Footage released on Friday by the robot’s developers showed Kirobo performing its first mission in space, talking in Japanese with astronaut Koichi Wakata earlier this month to test unscripted, autonomous conversation functions.
Mr Wakata said he was glad to meet Kirobo, and asked his robotic companion how it felt being in a zero-gravity environment.
“I’m used to it now, no problem at all,” Kirobo quipped.
Kirobo, who weighs one kilogram and is 32 centimetres tall, is programmed to process questions and select words from its vocabulary to construct an answer, instead of giving preprogrammed responses to specific questions.
“We were able to observe the initial stages of a relationship begin to develop between a human and a robot, and I think that was our biggest success,” the creator of the robot, Tomotaka Takahashi, said.
Kirobo arrived at the International Space Station this summer and experiments with Kirobo will continue until it returns to Earth at the end of 2014.
In the meantime, the robot is looking forward to Christmas.
When asked what gift he would like to receive, Kirobo said: “I want a toy rocket. Let’s ask Santa Claus.”
Associated Press
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AT4 Ultimate, as tested
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Getting there
The flights
Flydubai operates up to seven flights a week to Helsinki. Return fares to Helsinki from Dubai start from Dh1,545 in Economy and Dh7,560 in Business Class.
The stay
Golden Crown Igloos in Levi offer stays from Dh1,215 per person per night for a superior igloo; www.leviniglut.net
Panorama Hotel in Levi is conveniently located at the top of Levi fell, a short walk from the gondola. Stays start from Dh292 per night based on two people sharing; www. golevi.fi/en/accommodation/hotel-levi-panorama
Arctic Treehouse Hotel in Rovaniemi offers stays from Dh1,379 per night based on two people sharing; www.arctictreehousehotel.com
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Favourite holiday destination: Turkey - because the government look after animals so well there.
Favourite film: I love scary movies. I have so many favourites but The Ring stands out.
Favourite book: The Lord of the Rings. I didn’t like the movies but I loved the books.
Favourite colour: Black.
Favourite music: Hard rock. I actually also perform as a rock DJ in Dubai.
match info
Manchester United 3 (Martial 7', 44', 74')
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Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5