Meeting space for companion robot owners opens in Japan
Tokyo, Mar 30 (EFE).- A meeting space where owners of companion robot Lovot, whose demand boomed due to the coronavirus pandemic, will be able to socialize opened Wednesday in Japan.
The space is at the only Lovot store in the country, which was remodeled and offers clothing accessories for the robots, among other products. It has been opened with the intention of proposing a new lifestyle, in which humans and robots coexist, robotics startup Groove X, which created the robot, said in a statement.
Chargers are available to visitors to encourage them to bring their robots, which often have bulky charging devices.
According to several surveys, prolonged periods of time at home due to the pandemic triggered feelings of loneliness among the Japanese.
Some sought comfort in pets including dogs and cats, whose owners increased significantly in 2020 and increased again in 2021.
Groove X said it has also noticed an increase in interest in electronic companion gadgets in the wake of Covid-19, with Lovot sales tripling in the past year.
The Lovot store is integrated into Robotics Studio, an area exclusively dedicated to products for robotic companions, located in the Takashimaya department store in the central Tokyo district of Shinjuku, where other robots such as RoboHon, Sota and Palro can also be found.
Lovot, whose name is a combination of “love” and “robot,” was presented in 2018 to provide comfort and companionship to people.
It was developed by Kaname Hayashi, also behind well-known humanoid robot Pepper.
However, unlike Pepper, it has a baby or pet’s capacity to interact since it was designed to be a “comforting” presence, according to its creator. EFE
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