Childless Japanese men and women can now have robot babies


A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
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:
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."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
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."
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
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.
-
Elon Musk used Starlink, which saved Ukraine, to thwart a Ukrainian attack on Russia's Crimea fleet
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Fitch downgrades US credit rating, citing 'repeated debt-limit political standoffs'
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Bed Bath & Beyond relaunches online following bankruptcy
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
San Francisco's iconic Anchor Brewing is closing after 127 years
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Lawmakers say tax prep companies illegally shared taxpayer data with Meta and Google
Speed Read
By Theara Coleman Published
-
Microsoft wins FTC battle to acquire Activision Blizzard
Speed Read
By Theara Coleman Published
-
Tesla reports record quarter for sales
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
48 states sue telecom company over billions of robocalls
Speed Read
By Theara Coleman Published