TAKARATOMY releases "Uchi no Amaenbo Ami-chan", a communication doll for seniors who uses image recognition AI to identify human faces.
TAKARATOMY will release "Uchi no Amaenbo Ami-chan", a communication doll for seniors equipped with a face recognition function, on August 27 (Friday) at TAKARATOMY's official shopping site "TAKARATOMY MALL". The suggested retail price is 27,500 yen (tax included). It will also be exhibited at the next-generation showroom "Tsutaya Home Appliances + (Plus)" in Futakotamagawa, Tokyo, for a limited time until November 4th (Thursday).
TAKARATOMY has released the "Omnibot +" series of robots that can enjoy communication, but focusing on the fact that the percentage of users aged 65 and over exceeds 40%, we started planning and developing "Ami-chan". .. According to a Cabinet Office survey, about 6 million of the 36 million seniors aged 65 and over live alone, and the Korona-ka reduces the chances of meeting family members, friends, and acquaintances. With changes progressing and concerns about social isolation, the company aims to further expand its senior business. Together with the parakeet-type robot "Daily Talking Genius Inko-chan" that has already been released, it will be developed as a new category called "Cute Family of Takara Tomy".
▲ The new blue version will be released on August 27, "Daily Talking Genius Inko-chan"
It recognizes facial features and calls your name to talk!
The pendant on the chest of "Ami-chan" contains a camera sensor for face recognition, and it turns on only when you hold it. It saves the feature points instead of the face photo and uses them for user recognition, but if it cannot be recognized, it asks "Is it XX (user's name)?". If you answer "yes", up to 10 facial feature data, which you initially have only one, will be saved and the recognition accuracy will increase. And when it detects a registered main user, it calls a name only for that person and has a special conversation. By the way, even if an unregistered person holds it, it will talk, but in that case, it will be a bland small talk. It would be fun to see the difference.
There are about 2.5 billion conversation patterns!
You can enjoy about 2.5 billion kinds of various chats that combine about 1600 words. In addition to responding to calls by voice recognition, there are plenty of variations such as having conversations according to the season and time with the calendar function, and singing 40 kinds of songs such as nursery rhymes and singing songs. Depending on how often you hold it, you may become "sweet" or "lonely", and the content of the chat will change accordingly. You can also react by stroking your head or shaking hands.
Discerning doll face & hair
Only Takara Tomy, known as "Licca-chan", makes full use of the doll-making technology of "Ami-chan", and it is a doll-type face that pursues cuteness, and her eyes blink. Or, if you put it to sleep, you may close your eyes. Hair with the same specifications as a full-fledged doll is transplanted to the hair, and you can comb the hair with the attached comb or arrange the hair and enjoy it. The limbs and torso are stuffed animals with an emphasis on touch. In addition, it is planned to release clothes for changing clothes as an option.
Brain scientists talk about the actual effect!
Takara Tomy investigated how these "Ami-chan" functions actually affect users with the cooperation of Professor Kikunori Shinohara of Suwa University of Science. Mr. Shinohara said, "(When talking) the language field was activated, and in the brain training, the target prefrontal cortex was activated. At the same time, the temporal region related to reading the other party's intention and imagination was activated. There was also activation of the joints, "he said, suggesting that it could help supplement communication that tends to be lacking. In addition, by being called by "Ami-chan", "the activity of the brain part related to attention increases, and the activity of the parietal association area related to spatial cognition also increases at once, so we can expect more activation of the brain than real communication. That's right. "
People who have actually experienced it as a monitor in advance have a good reputation, such as "smiling", and Respect for the Aged Day may soon come, so it seems good to give it as a gift to elderly parents and acquaintances.
"Our Amaenbo Ami-chan" Product Overview
Release date: August 27, 2021 (Friday) Suggested retail price "27,500 yen (tax included) Product details: Main unit, instruction manual, comb Product size: W260mm x H330mm x D230mm (package size) Product site: http: //www.takaratomy.co.jp/products/amichan
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Interview / text / Satoshi Oda