Kirobo

Kirobo is a small humanoid robot developed in Japan by a collaborative project involving the University of Tokyo, Robo Garage, Toyota Motor Corporation, and Dentsu. Officially launched in 2013, Kirobo was designed as a companion robot capable of recognizing and responding to human emotions. Its primary mission was to provide emotional support to astronaut Koichi Wakata during his stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

Key features of Kirobo include voice and facial recognition, speech synthesis, and the ability to record memories of conversations. These capabilities allowed Kirobo to engage in basic communication and build a sense of connection with Wakata.

The project aimed to investigate the role robots can play in providing companionship and psychological support to individuals in isolated environments, such as astronauts on long-duration space missions. Kirobo's deployment to the ISS represented a significant step in exploring the potential of robots to address the emotional needs of humans in extreme situations. Kirobo returned to Earth in 2015, completing its mission.