Is This Therapeutic ‘Babyloid’ Cool or Creepy?
- Posted on December 13, 2011 at 2:11pm by
Liz Klimas
- Print »
- Email »
It giggles and cries, likes to be cuddled and has a soft, plush body. While it may should like the top of every 5-year-old girl’s Christmas list this year, it’s actually a doll for adults.
(Photo via Tech Crunch)
Developed by Masayoshi Kanoh, a professor at Chukyo University in Japan, the Babyloid is therapeutic robot doll that could help keep older people company, easing depressing, according to New Scientist. Kanoh presented the latest prototype at a robotics conference in Japan recently.
New Scientist has more on the baby robot’s design:
Kanoh [...]the basic design — with a simplified, smiling face — was chosen “to avoid the creepiness a realistic baby face can have.”
Babyloid can produce more than 100 different sounds. Kanoh is a father of three and he recorded the sounds of his youngest when she was an infant for the robot. During experimental studies at a retirement home, Kanoh found that users interacted with Babyloid an average of seven to eight minutes in a sitting with a total of 90 minutes per day, which helped ease symptoms of depression.
Watch the Babyloid in use:
The Babyloid costs about $25,718 as a prototype, but Kanoh hopes the cost when it reaches the commercial market will be around $1,300.
Tech Crunch reported on the Babyloid when its development was announced earlier this year, stating that Japan has the world’s oldest society, where those 65 or older compose 20 percent of the population. Experiments have begun in nursing homes to evaluate the effectiveness of the baby robot.
Comments (35)
Sign In To Post Comments! Sign In
Popular Stories
Does Misstated Marathon Claim Prove Paul Ryan Is Dishonest? (POLL) 697 Comments
Paper Details Obama Admin’s Alleged Secret Note Sent to Iran: If Israel Attacks, We Won’t Get Involved 529 Comments
Roseanne Barr: Most Billionaires ‘Violent Pedophiles’ & ‘Heartless’ Cocaine Addicts 355 Comments
‘Made Up Religion’: TV Historian Enrages Muslims, Receives Threats After Producing UK Documentary Questioning Islam’s Beginnings 355 Comments
This Is the Creationists‘ Response to Scientist Bill Nye’s Viral Pro-Evolution Video Claiming They Harm Children 347 Comments
Faith
- This Is the Creationists‘ Response to Scientist Bill Nye’s Viral Pro-Evolution Video Claiming They Harm Children 347 Comments
Pakistani Muslim Cleric Accused of Framing Disabled Christian Girl in Koran-Burning Case Read More- ‘Made Up Religion’: TV Historian Enrages Muslims, Receives Threats After Producing UK Documentary Questioning Islam’s Beginnings 355 Comments
Meet the Controversial German Imam Accused of Brutally Beating His Wife & Pushing Sharia Law Read More
‘Self-Proclaimed Messiah’ & Unification Church Leader the Rev. Sun Myung Moon Has Died — Here’s His Life Story Read More
Business
- President Obama Issues Major ‘Green Energy’ Executive Order 270 Comments
- Germany’s Upcoming Court Ruling Will be Huge for the EU Read More
Ford Looks to Beat Toyota for Best-Selling Car in 2012 With This Model 148 Comments
Bernanke & QE3: Here’s What You Need to Know Read More- ‘Extortion’: Why Did the Labor Department ‘Drop the Hammer’ on Oregon Farmers? 302 Comments
Technology
- This Is the Creationists‘ Response to Scientist Bill Nye’s Viral Pro-Evolution Video Claiming They Harm Children 347 Comments
‘TaserDrone’: Hackers Weaponize Quadcopter With Actual ‘Shocking’ Technology Read More
Ever Heard of the Wild ‘Burning Man’ Festival in the Middle of the Nev. Desert? Here’s Your Primer Read More
Stanford Develops Technology ‘Better Than Steroids’ for Athlete Recovery Read More
Have You Pretended to Know What ‘the Cloud’ Is? You’re Not Alone Read More
Submitting your tip... please wait!
TheMisstiff15
Posted on December 15, 2011 at 5:34pmStrange!!!!!
Report Post »1956
Posted on December 14, 2011 at 3:16pmChange the design of the body and face – and I see a real boon to Alzheimer’s patients.
Report Post »jharper
Posted on December 14, 2011 at 1:48pmHow is a realistic baby face “creepy”???
Report Post »jharper
Posted on December 14, 2011 at 1:47pmThat is one UGLY baby!
Report Post »MarsBarsTru7
Posted on December 14, 2011 at 1:07pmAnother well-intentioned idea that’s just completely insane.
Yeah, let’s just replace human companionship with an egg shaped fuzzy blanket covered robot. What a way to take care of the elderly. God forbid anyone from a younger generation actually had to spend time with them.
Report Post »grownup
Posted on December 14, 2011 at 11:24amI just feel sad.
Report Post »Jennifer_D
Posted on December 14, 2011 at 10:14amI understand the idea that babyloid would be therapeutic for the elderly experiencing depression. However; nothing compares to the benefits of human interaction. Do we really want people depending on robots for interaction? I think that is creepy and shurks the responsibility that people have to the elderly.
Babyloid would be a good toy for children, but it shouldn’t be an acceptable substitute. Pets are even a better idea because at least with them there is reciprocity. .
Report Post »Solzhenitsin
Posted on December 14, 2011 at 1:38pmI agree that real human visitors and therapy pets are a better solution for helping the elderly who are experiencing depression only, but I have a friend who works in an Alzheimer’s home and a robot might be better when it comes to those who can become unexpectedly violent. A robot can be replaced, a life cannot.
Report Post »heroc
Posted on December 14, 2011 at 8:37amNot as creepy as Little Miss No-Name Dolls. Imagine spending the night at your grandmothers who had a room full of these. I believe they were taken off the market because they were giving children nightmares, or because they reanimated and tried to kill their owners. Not sure.
http://www.grrl.com/ebaydoll.jpg
Report Post »cosmic dogma
Posted on December 14, 2011 at 8:27amSad, the family structure is so fractured. Grew up with my Grandparents, and Great Grandparents babysitting me. Mom worked. Was so wonderful to be cared for by someone who loved me. Worked in a day care center, while a teen. Babies and small children ARE NOT GETTING THE ATTENTION THEY DESERVE, AND NEED. Even the best day care centers CAN NOT REPLICATE FAMILY. What do you think this hugh social experiment we have been conducting over the past few decades has done to the psyche of the human child? Don’t ever devalue the job a Mother, or Grandmother, or Great Grandmother performs. The child needs them, as much as they need the children.
Report Post »Conserving Ink
Posted on December 14, 2011 at 7:37amAs my oldest son likes to say “Japan is 12 hours in the Future – AND THEY HAVE ROBOTS!”
Report Post »WeekendAtBernankes
Posted on December 14, 2011 at 9:39amHilarious, I’m using that one!
Report Post »johnnycatt
Posted on December 14, 2011 at 7:28amI have had the extreme pleasure of dealing with the Japanese for quite some time at work… they are different.. not bad, just DIFFERENT!!! sometimes you catch yourself say: “wait, what?” and you think it is just some idea that got scrambled in translation from Japanese to English.. then you think.. maybe Iyoto-san was into the Saki a bit last night.. then you realize — THE JAPANESE ARE DIFFERENT!
Report Post »sta
Posted on December 14, 2011 at 7:49amDid you ever see the Chinko Machine on Gaki no Tsukai?
Report Post »Solzhenitsin
Posted on December 14, 2011 at 1:40pmTry being married to one ;)
Report Post »hillbillyinny
Posted on December 14, 2011 at 7:13amWe used to be “families”! We used to house our grandparents with us, with our children, with our childrens’ children. We used to help the youngest to the oldest contribute to the family and community in any small way they can. We used to care for each other until death and love each other beyond death and not have to feel “guilty” about it! Now this is called the Amish who aren’t a perfect people, nor do they have a perfect life, but they understand God’s purpose for families!
Now we are so industrialized, and due to our “standard of living” must move far away from family and friends, must work 40,50, 60 hours a day, run our children from sport or other group to group, rush out to buy the latest clothing or electronic equipment, send our children to be INDOCTRINATED by others, and never sit together at a meal, enjoying each others’ company and interacting with the humans we love.
Congratulations to those families who have realized the wealth in other humans and who have found a way to be what they can be in God‘s plan for humans which I really don’t think is supposed to be “interacting with robots (or computer games, etc.), even for ninety minutes a day!
Report Post »Christine Graham
Posted on December 14, 2011 at 4:32amAs if we don’t infantilize the elderly enough already…
how insulting.
Report Post »Latter-Day-Soldier
Posted on December 14, 2011 at 3:30amThose things look similar to one of the hovering medical droids shown near the end of Star-Wars Episode III.
Report Post »TH30PH1LUS
Posted on December 14, 2011 at 2:10amTRANSLATION: this creepy doll was manufactured because our self-absorbed societies are ripping apart the family unit. Marriages are blowing apart, and extended families are going the way of the dinosaurs. We are abandoning our roles as loving care-givers to those who gave us life, along with our dignity, our compassion, and (as this doll suggests) our very humanity.
Report Post »Brooke Lorren
Posted on December 14, 2011 at 2:38amJapan has a fertility rate of 1.2. Probably in many of these cases the old people don’t have any children or grandchildren to play with, even if they were close to the little bit of family that they had.
Report Post »Solzhenitsin
Posted on December 14, 2011 at 1:42pmGood point Brooke.
Report Post »Link8on
Posted on December 14, 2011 at 2:15pmgoogle “baby think it over dolls”
This idea has been around for a while…
http://www.realityworks.com/infantsimulations/index.asp
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MujcKmhYSg
There was a Wisconsin small company (Baby think it over) making the educational dolls about a decade ago.
Their goal was mainly to show high school teens how hard it was to care for an infant.
I think the price then was about $ 600 , with an Admin / Teacher’s baby care logging Dock for over $ 1000. Each baby logs care events and response times and the teacher can score the care by each team of students. Each robotic baby also needed a battery pack replacement every 2 wks.
$ 1300 for today’s price on what appears to be a simpler model is way overcharging.
Report Post »TH30PH1LUS
Posted on December 14, 2011 at 3:52pmBrooke Lorren – thanks for the birth rate info. I still wish that there were more people willing to give back to the elderly. Dolls might make a person feel better, but they can never replace a human touch, human compassion and understanding.
I wonder why the birth rate is so low? Seems pandemic in Europe but I was unaware that Japan was also undergoing this issue.
Report Post »KeystoneState
Posted on December 14, 2011 at 1:29amMmmkay.
Report Post »onebigassmistakeamerica
Posted on December 14, 2011 at 1:52amThe Japanese LOVE their robots!!
Report Post »The_Sum_Total_Of_Progressivism_Is_Epic_Failure
Posted on December 14, 2011 at 1:08amI think there’s 1000 other things to do for 90min a day BEFORE you resort to hugging a furry computer
Report Post »pippinfett
Posted on December 14, 2011 at 12:30amUm… “While it may should like” ????? You mean we much and we will much about that be committed?
Report Post »LeadNotFollow
Posted on December 13, 2011 at 11:50pmCreepy !!!
Report Post »spfoam1
Posted on December 13, 2011 at 11:24pmKeep it away from nome772, he’ll be trying to hump it.
Report Post »Here in Texas
Posted on December 13, 2011 at 11:07pmHey, if it helps, more power to ya. I, personally, wouldn’t get one, but if it helps someone else, why not?
Report Post »Rayblue
Posted on December 13, 2011 at 10:25pm“The Education of Tigress Macardle” 1957, by C.M. Kornbluth gives a ridiculous view of this idea.
Report Post »Try to find the short story. It’s been long out of print but well worth the search.
RossPoldark
Posted on December 13, 2011 at 10:23pmAll of the elderly I have seen carry dolls in nursing or retirement homes are women, and all seem content with the standard plastic doll, which only cost between 10.00 30.00 dollars. Anyway, there are already dolls for children our on the market that do some of the things this baby does, and for a hell of a lot cheaper.
Report Post »JimmyP
Posted on December 13, 2011 at 10:04pmThat thing is CREEPY
Report Post »HotFixIt
Posted on December 13, 2011 at 9:37pmGet a dog!
Report Post »Islesfordian
Posted on December 14, 2011 at 4:26amMy thoughts exactly. Well, actually I was thinking of a cat.
Report Post »