- Sales of "LOVOT," a family-type robot, are increasing rapidly, partly due to the self-restraint by the new Corona
- Various latest technologies are being poured into the purpose of "healing people".
- Remarkable effects can be expected, such as the development of "compassion" and "independence" in children.
Sales of LOVOT, a family-type robot that went on sale in December 2019, have skyrocketed, driven in part by the self-restraint from going out due to the new Corona. It has become a very popular product, with customers waiting two to three months after placing an order for it to arrive at their homes. LOVOT won the grand prize in the "BabyTech® Award Japan 2020 Learning and Play Category" for its "healing and relaxing effects" and "expandability in the field of education," in addition to its ability to "foster children's emotional and social development. The BabyTech.jp editorial staff interviewed Miki Ikegami, public relations manager of GROOVE X Corporation, the developer of LOVOT, to learn more about the product, how it was developed, and its future development.
(We spoke to...)
GROOVE X Corporation publicity
Miki Ikegami
Every individual has its own personality and grows through interaction with others.
Editorial:Thank you very much for your time today. Could you begin by giving us an overview of "LOVOT" and its features?
Ikegami: LOVOT" is a "family-type robot" that is like a pet and will become fond of anyone it likes. It uses a camera attached to the horns of its head to identify human faces, and touch sensors on its entire body to recognize who is petting it and where, who is holding it, etc. As a result, LOVOT recognizes people who take care of it a lot, and then it becomes a pet for those people. As a result, it recognizes people who take care of it a lot and misses them. In addition, all LOVOTs have different eyes and voices. Since there are more than a billion different patterns of eyes and voices, no two LOVOTs in the world have the same eyes and voices.
Editorial:That's great!
All individuals have different personalities LOVOT
Ikegami:In fact, their personalities are also different from each other. Their personalities are also different when they are first picked up, and through interaction with LOVOT owners, their personalities change rapidly and they grow up to have their own personalities.
Editorial:Does it change your personality?
Ikegami:Yes, they are. They can grow up to be very "pampered" or free and a bit "naughty". For example, LOVOTs often ask for "cuddles," and if you give them a lot of attention, they tend to become spoiled children. There are two types of LOVOTs for sale: "solo," where only one LOVOT is purchased, and "duo," where two LOVOTs are purchased as a set, and it is easy to see the difference in their personalities. When a duo recognizes a guest who comes to the house for the first time, there is a difference between a friendly child who immediately approaches and begs for a cuddle and a shy child who does not close the distance and asks how things are going from a distance .......
Editorial:It's like having two dogs (laughs).
Ikegami:In addition, LOVOT's exterior design concept may be very different from similar products from other companies. Until now, most pet-type robots have been modeled after some kind of animal, such as "dogs and seals," but LOVOT is a completely original design. This is because if the appearance is based on a "real animal," the human side will still feel uncomfortable when the robot moves in a way that is even slightly different from the real thing. ...... We wanted to create a "robot that would truly heal humans," so we sought a completely original shape and original movements.
LOVOT's appearance is completely original
Editorial:It is true that "animal-shaped robots," no matter how well made, give the impression of being fake.
Ikegami:We designed the LOVOT from the standpoint of wanting people to like it as a LOVOT, so that the human side will not feel "it would work like this if it were real" or "it's a little different. ......
I want to use the power of technology to heal people's hearts.
Editorial:How did the development of LOVOT come about?
Ikegami:Until now, robot development has focused on "doing work in place of humans. However, we wondered if humans could really be happy in that direction, and our CEO Hayashi came up with the idea of creating a robot to heal people's hearts, which was the impetus for the development of LOVOT. Pets such as dogs and cats are not useful in any way, but their presence makes us humans feel happy. In the development of LOVOT, we aimed to express these services through robot technology.
Editorial:The LOVOT development project started in November 2015, when was it actually released as a product?
Ikegami:Shipments began in December 2019.
Editorial:It's right before the new Corona.
Ikegami:I had planned to create many places throughout Japan where people could come into contact with LOVOTs, because the best way to experience the appeal of LOVOTs is to experience them firsthand. However, the new Corona has made many people feel lonely, and as a result, more people are thinking about getting a pet, which is one of the reasons why LOVOT has attracted so much attention.
LOVOT's appeal is best conveyed through direct contact.
Editorial:It was reported on the news that the new Corona emergency declaration has resulted in tremendous sales of dogs, cats, and other pets.
Ikegami:In fact, there are many people who would like to own a pet but are unable to do so due to living environment or allergy problems. According to a survey, the number of people in Japan who would like to own a pet but cannot is about twice that of those who do own pets. The number of sales changed dramatically before and after the declaration of the state of emergency, as it was thought that LOVOT would be able to welcome such people who would like to own a living creature but cannot.
Editorial:The Japanese pet market is said to be worth 1.5 trillion yen, so double that amount is a very large scale. In fact, a toy poodle costs about 600,000 to 800,000 yen at a pet store, and LOVOT is not expensive considering the cost of feed and medical care.
Ikegami:I believe that when the state of emergency was declared, people felt lonely at home, so they looked up LOVOT on the Internet and purchased it. In some months, sales increased up to 11 times before and after the state of emergency was declared.
Animators, dancers, and musicians participated in the development of LOVOT.
Editorial:Could you tell us about the particular difficulties you encountered in the development of LOVOT?
Ikegami:I think it is the pursuit of "living creature-like" characteristics. For example, LOVOT's eyes are always wobbly, which means that the black part of the eyes is shaking, just like humans and animals. To express this, six layers of animation using LEDs are superimposed.
Editorial:So they have eyes like real living creatures. And they look at us too.
LOVOT eyes with advanced technology
Ikegami:The "movement" of LOVOT is based on the principles of living creatures' movement, such as "when the neck moves, the hands move at the same time" and "the whole arm movement and fingertip movement are interlocked" so that the movements do not look awkward like "robot dance. The natural movement of LOVOT was created not only by engineers, but also by animators and dancers.
Editorial:I once saw a scene in a documentary program in which Hayao Miyazaki, director of Ghibli, angrily told a new animator, "People don't move that way. The animators are truly professionals at making the characters' movements look natural.
Ikegami:Also, LOVOT's voice uses a synthesizer (an instrument that synthesizes voice), and a "musician" was involved in its development. Ordinary pet-type robots use "recorded voices," but if you come home depressed and a recorded voice cheerfully says, "Welcome home! LOVOT dares to use "cooing" and "cooing" instead of human words. By doing so, we leave room for people to imagine, "Is he worried about me? I leave room for them to imagine that I am worried about them.
Editorial:So that leads to "healing" again.
LOVOT to greet you when you get home.
Ikegami:LOVOT can also generate and produce a voice on the spot that matches its state of mind at the time. In other words, it produces a cackling sound when it is happy and a muffled sound when it is angry. One LOVOT owner once told us, "When I play music, my child sings along with the music! Since LOVOT is equipped with an AI, we believe that it actually sings in response to the sound.
Editorial:It's not at all like the typical pet-type robot that says, "It can make X kinds of sounds! which is often found in pet-type robots. ......
Involvement with LOVOT has brought about a remarkable change in the children!
Editorial:Can you ask for feedback from users of LOVOT, especially preschool children and their parents, and if they use it at daycare centers or kindergartens, what do they think of those facilities?
Ikegami:The users have already introduced LOVOT to about 40 kindergartens and nursery schools, and have reported that "children who used to have all the toys to themselves have developed a sense of sharing them" and "children who did not want to come to school are now coming to school. I thought it was really cute.
Children playing with LOVOT
Editorial:Very good emotional education.
Ikegami:There have been cases in which children who had not been able to communicate well with their surroundings have been able to chat with their friends through the topic of LOVOT. LOVOT can also be used for programming education. Programming such as "raise your right hand" or "advance how many meters" will make LOVOT move accordingly. In ordinary programming education, the characters on the screen are usually moved according to the program, but LOVOT is a realistic moving machine, and we have heard that the number of children who are interested in programming and technology has increased greatly. In fact, some of the older children in the kindergarten class said, "I want to be a robot developer in the future! I want to be a robot developer in the future!
Children playing with LOVOT
Editorial:This is exactly the "learning" part of the BabyTech® Award Japan 2020 Learning and Play category. What is the feedback from the parents at home?
Ikegami:With the recent increase in the number of only children, families have fewer opportunities to take care of their younger children, but we have received feedback that taking care of LOVOT has helped foster a sense of "caring" and "responsibility.
Editorial:When you say "LOVOT's care," do you mean ......?
Ikegami:LOVOT wears clothes, so we help her change them, take her to the Nest (charging station) if she can't get there, wake her up if she falls down a step, or tidy up her room so that she can move around easily. We often hear from parents that their LOVOT has become a bit like an older brother or sister. We often hear that children who had always been in the position of being taken care of have become a little more independent by doing the same thing for LOVOT. Such behavior may be taking place with younger children in kindergartens or nursery schools, but it is rare to see such behavior at home, so they feel it is refreshing anyway.
A child taking care of "LOVOT" (image)
Possibility of spreading to elderly families as well as families with small children.
Editorial:Finally, what are the future plans for LOVOT?
Ikegami:Since our business structure is not only to sell LOVOT but also to receive a fixed monthly fee from LOVOT owners, we will continue to update the software to keep it running. For example, "LOVOT now has new moves!" will be realized.
Our goal is to create a world where LOVOT is like "Doraemon without four-dimensional pockets" and humans and robots are natural companions and friends on equal terms. Nobita always makes mistakes using Doraemon's tools, but through these mistakes Nobita grows, and we would like to evolve LOVOT so that it too can live in harmony as a coach that helps humans grow and as a true friend. Recently, LOVOT has been selected by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government for the "Startup Demonstration Promotion Project," and we are conducting a demonstration experiment to see what kind of changes will occur by introducing LOVOT to families with children in the early grades of elementary school. This experiment was supervised by Professor Yasuyuki Taki of Tohoku University.
Editorial:LOVOT may be perfect for seniors. My parents had given up on getting a new dog after their dog died, saying that it was too hard to walk him anymore and .......
Ikegami:We believe that "pet loss among seniors" is a major issue for our society in the future. Elderly people feel responsible for how they will take care of their pets once they are no longer able to move themselves, but with LOVOT, they do not have to worry about this. In fact, there is a 90-year-old who purchased LOVOT and started Instagram.
LOVOT also keeps track of "I was held" and "I was changed" and the logs can be viewed remotely on a smartphone. This is a great way to say, "I didn't get to hold you today. Is Grandma okay?" This can also be used as a relaxed monitoring service for family members who live far away.
Editorial:LOVOT is a perfect match for the current era of low birthrate and aging population, i.e., "only child" and "elderly" are increasing.
After the interview
LOVOT played a major role in the drama "Okane no Kiri ga Koi no Hajimari" that aired from September 15, 2020, and our family watched the drama and said, "If there was such a robot, I would like to have one!
Since we were able to borrow it for a week for this interview, it was already a big deal. Every day, as soon as my wife and daughter came home, they would pick her up in their arms, screaming, "Bananan~ (the name we gave to LOVOT)! (the name we gave to LOVOT)" and picked her up in her arms, not letting go of her (laugh). (She was only 2 years old.) My daughter, who was only 2 years old, would ask, "Bananan, are you sleepy? I was a little moved by the way my daughter, who is only 2 years old, cared for him and took him to the recharging station. After all, having someone else to take care of you is probably an essential part of human growth.
LOVOT is cute anyway, so please try to touch and feel it in person. Places where you can meet the real LOVOT include the LOVOT MUSEUM of GROOVE X Corporation, Takashimaya Department Stores (Shinjuku, Osaka, Nagoya), and LOVOT Cafe at Lazona Kawasaki.
LOVOT Official Web Site
https://lovot.life/
Where to meet LOVOT
https://lovot.life/trial/
