Childless Japanese men and women can now have robot babies

Kirobo Mini, a robotic baby simulator.
(Image credit: Screenshot/Toyota Motors Corporation/Press TV)

Baby diaper sellers struggle in Japan, where the country's nose-diving birthrates are unseen outside of nations facing serious threats to health and wellness, such as war or famine. Unfortunately for anyone in the baby business, a new invention from Toyota could replace human babies for childless Japanese men and women — with robots.

Meet Kirobo Mini, a robotic baby simulator that will go on sale for about $392 next year:

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The Kirobo Mini blinks and speaks in a baby-voice, and even comes with a cradle that can convert into a car seat. "He wobbles a bit, and this is meant to emulate a seated baby, which hasn't fully developed the skills to balance itself," the robot's chief engineer, Fuminori Kataoka, told Reuters. "This vulnerability is meant to invoke an emotional connection."

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Admittedly, Kirobo Mini doesn't look a whole lot like a human baby and is much smaller in size, at only four inches tall. But it is designed to integrate into owners' lives using a camera, microphone, Bluetooth, and connection to one's smartphone.

"Toyota has been making cars that have a lot of valuable uses," Kataoka said. "But this time we're just pushing emotional value."

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.