At last week’s CEATEC tradeshow in Japan, Sharp previewed its new RoBoHoN (the name is short for “Robot Phone”).
RoBoHoN is certainly an ambitious and groundbreaking product. It’s an LTE and Wi-Fi compatible cellphone that resembles a small robot, both in appearance and functionality.
There’s built-in voice and face recognition, which allows the robot to accept verbal commands and identify its owner (or owners). A two-inch LCD screen on the robot’s back lets you receive and send email, as well as download new apps. And the robot’s head includes a camera for recording photos and video, as well as a tiny projector for displaying that same media onto a wall or other flat surface.
RoBoHoN won’t be released in Japan until 2016. During the demo at the booth, the Sharp representative asked RoBoHoN to dance. The rep had to ask a couple of times, presumably because of the loud background noise on the show floor.
I have to admit that this is a pretty cool product — at least, in theory. You do have to wonder how many robot fans in Japan will want to carry around such a large phone on a daily basis.