Ohayou Gozaimasu, Wakamaru!

Wai! Konnichi wa, dachi! First, the nation was taken aback by the recondite mass success of Styx's 1983 smash, "Mr. Roboto", which has forever made pop culture potpourri of the term "Domo arigato" (it's a word that has both literal and cultural meanings, which is translated in English as "thank you very much", but its literal Japanese meaning actually derives from the words "ari", which means "to be" and gatai, which means "to be difficult", which then translates into "too difficult to be" or "too difficult to exist", and in case that strikes you as being a rather dark customary greeting, there's actually a great positive implication behind it by Japanese Buddhists that means, "It would be too difficult without you.", or, without your kindness, I couldn't be, and says exactly how much one values you and am lucky to have you.) That's quite a lecture for you alone right there, perhaps it got you more filled up than a bowl of Udon noodles! LOL!

Now...a new era dawns...enter Wakamaru!



She is a 3 foot 4 inch tall, 66 pound, obsidian-eyed, internet-linked, walking, talking robot who, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. believe, will prove the archetype ideal personal organizer, who speaks in a gentle, feminine tone and greets all family members whether it is getting home from school or leaving for a weekend fishing trip. She identifies where she is in a house by the ceiling, which her panoramic head camera comes in handy. She can remember to up as much as ten faces and communicate efficiently with them, remembering as many as 10,000 words. :)



Mr. Toshiyuki Kita is the genius behind this yellow missy. The name "wakamaru" derives from the childhood nickname of Minamoto Yoshitsune, a twelfth-century Japanese samurai who put together military victories that enabled his brother Yoritomo to gain control of Japan. The name is said to be associated with "growth" and "development".



Hey, you have a tendency to feel sluggish in the mornings? No problem, she will glide to your bedside armed with the New York Times and the weather forecast. Need to trim that waistline? Hey, she'll not only urge you to get jogging, but she may even keep you company along the way. Who knows, maybe she'll even develop a knack at tai-bo! Yada, holy ume-boshi, I better keep fit here! (giggles) Yare yare!

100 of these yellow robo-girl Fridays are on sale, and Miss Wakamaru can be yours for just $14,000! :)

Indeed we have seen a growing family of new household robots strike an electromagnetic pose on the market:



1) Tmsuk introduced their "Roborior" robots in Tokyo in September of 2003, which come equipped with digital camera, infrared sensor and video telephones, which help them sense break-ins and send video and phone messages to their owners. They are bering sold for approximately $2,600!



2) Fujitsu has introduced Enon, which will go on sale in Japan this November. It currently costs about $54,000, with 20-30 to be sold right away and more planned on the way. They have voice recognition capabilities, cameras and sensors, and can help customers find their way around stores, and soon is planned to be inducted into restaurants and stores to alleviate shortages in Japan's labor force amidst a declining birth rate and growing elderly population.



3) iRobot's Roomba, a robot the size of a hubcap, is the new robotic vacuum, which sweeps across floor services, making their days with the dust bunnies, whose infrared sensors can identify stair steps and other changes of surface levels and back away, and can indicate when their battery level is low to return to its docking station to get recharged. You may find these lil' critters at your local Sharper Image!



4) Robby the Robot, star of "Forbidden Planet", is a master creator, who could produce just about anything for humans. Oh wait, his home planet is Altair IV, isn't it! Zannen! (pouty puppy moan)

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Who knows what kinship man and machine will develop from here, when man and machine will co-exist as one, physiologically conscious family! What I can say now is, "Domo arigato!", and I mean in every sense of the word here! ;)



Kakkoii!

Love,
Noah Eaton
(Mistletoe Angel)
(Emmanuel Endorphin)