Servo - September 2010

Yotaro, a possible inspiration to young Japanese couples.

tickle him, and has a permanently runny nose. No, it’s not John Goodman, but nice try. It’s Yotaro the robotic baby. Originally designed as an experiment in transcultural aesthetics, Yotaro has recently been touted as a possible solution to Japan’s dwindling population which has reached such crisis proportions that the government has enacted a $150 per month subsidy for

each child a family adds. Supposedly, Yotaro is so dang adorable that all you have to do is touch him, and you’ll want to rush home and create the real thing.

“I think it’s true that young working couples have no chance to have personal contact with babies in their lives. The people who came to the robot exhibitions enjoyed touching Yotaro, like a real baby,” said Hiroki Kunimura, Yotaro project leader at the University of Tsukuba (www.tsu kuba.ac.jp). “A robot can’t be human, but it’s great if this robot triggers human emotions so humans want to have their own baby.” Haven’t these people heard of dirty movies? SV