RoBoHoN: An Emotionally Intelligent Robot with Smartphone Functionality

Japanese invented an emotionally intelligent robot named RoBoHoN that has been provided the ability to talk, walk, and even the emotions of a human. A small and easily portable robot, it will be very interesting to see the coordination between human and robot. The company opened the RoBoHon Cafe in Tokyo to mark the launch.

Developed in collaboration with the University of Tokyo's Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology and Robo Garage Co. Ltd., it was released by Sharp Corporation in 2016. It is the world’s first mobile robotic phone. This humanoid robot can walk on two legs and is compact enough to be carried anywhere.   

Japan has come up with a tiny robot that is very cool, and it will blow your mind. It supports 3G and LTE networks and has various other basic mobile functions like alarm, email, online services, camera, and phone. A wide range of services can be accessed via dedicated apps to add new functionality to RoBoHoN. 

Key Specifications:

• Product name- Mobile Robotic Phone
• Model name- SR-01M-W
• Nickname- RoBoHoN
• Platform- Android™ 5.0
• Height/weight- Approx. 19.5 cm/390 g
• Servo motors- 13
• CPU- 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 400 processor
• Internal memory- ROM: 16GB, RAM: 2GB
• Continuous phone talk time (in still mode)- VoLTE: Approx 400 minutes, 3G: Approx. 410 minutes
• Continuous standby mode time (in still mode)- LTE: Approx 210 hours, 3G: Approx 220 hours
• Phone usage time on one charge- More than one day*4
• Supported bands- LTE: 1 (2.0GHz), 3 (1.7GHz), 19 (800MHz)
• 3G: 1 (2.0GHz), 6 (800MHz), 19 (800MHz)
• VoLTE- Yes
• Display- Approx. 2.0-inch QVGA
• Camera- 8-megapixel CMOS camera
• Projector- HD (1,280 x 720) equivalent
• Networks- LTE, 3G
• Wi-Fi® IEEE- 802.11b/g/n*5
• Bluetooth- 4.0
• GPS- Yes
• Sensors- 9 (3-axis accelerometer, 3-axis geo-magnetometer, 3-axis gyroscope), light sensor 
• Charging time- Approx. 155 min.
• Battery capacity- 1,700 mAh
• Accessories- Table-top holder, AC adaptor, MicroUSB cable
• A two-inch 320 x 240 display on its back

Striking Features: 

• RoBoHoN has joined arms and legs.
• It can be operated by voice commands.
• It can walk, talk, and even dance in a cute Japanese accent.
• It may double up as a projector (on its face) and offers focus-free playback. It is ideal for showing photos and videos.
• It has face and voice recognition software as its integral part. 
• Built-in voice activity detection software to identify where you are in the room and approaches you.
• It is quick and responsive and could easily function in an office environment by using the "facility information" and "reception" applications. 
• The sensors help in manipulating the environment easily, enabling it to walk and know the exact location. 

Three Models of RoBoHoN - One Seated and Two Walking

In 2019, Sharp released three new models of RoBoHoN humanoid robot- two walking models and one seated. It focuses more on family users with small children, who can experience “life with robots.” 

The number of pre-loaded apps that could be loaded on the robots would gradually increase from 30 to 46. These apps include one sending images that the robot takes of a family member returning home to a user’s email address. Real-time monitoring of homes through an app can come at an additional cost of 300 Yen plus tax per month.  

Other apps include one helping children to program a sequence of speech and movements, and another allows users to remotely control home appliances using voice commands and IoT technology. Another app transforms humanoid into a receptionist having multi-lingual skills like Japanese, English, Korean, and Chinese. 

One walking model could tap into mobile phone networks- 3G/LTE (RoBoHoN SR-03M-Y), which has a “Telephone” feature and costs 180,000 yen. The other walking model relies on WiFi (RoBoHoN SR-04M-Y) and is worth 120,000 yen. The seated model comes at the price of 79,000 yen (RoBoHoN Lite SR-05M-Y). The users also need to pay 980 yen as a subscription fee every month for each model. 

From the original, it has upgraded to the Android 8.1 version as a platform. It has a 2.6 -inch display. The in-built Answering Machine app offers various call and forwarding features like emailing the owner’s contact details should they be away from home.

Watch This Video for More:

Credits: SharpEurope

Concluding Thoughts  

Completely like a Smartphone, it’s a little buddy but a cute version of it! It is available for pre-order and works only in Japan. World’s first hybrid of the robot and mobile phone telephony, it has a playful exterior and is known for its cutting-edge features.