Sharp might just have scored a coup in the mobile phone industry. This is true, at least, in the area of innovation. Last Tuesday it launched the world debut of its Robohon, a smartphone that thinks it is a robot or a robot that acts as your mobile device.
Robohon, which will roll out in Japan next year, has smartphone features such as call functionality, email, Internet connectivity and a camera. In addition, it also serves as a personal assistant capable of taking notes, calendar events, announcing notifications and a host of other things that Siri and Google Now can do. It is also powered by Android and sports a 2-inch touchscreen display, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Sharp's new device, however, is more than just a smartphone. Robohon wants to become its owner's personal companion, a BFF if you will. It is designed as a walking, moving robot that is small enough to carry around and - more important - interact with. Indeed, Sharp, along with designer Tomotoka Takahashi, expects owners to develop a bond with the device because of its form and ability to converse naturally, Sharp said in a press statement.
Should you think it strange to place a phone call using the robot, watch it morph into some semblance of a phone during a conversation in the video above. Calls are handled through speakerphone, but if the user wants privacy, Robohon will whisper in your ear, according to CNET. If you are still not convinced, just think back of the time when Samsung was heavily ridiculed for introducing a humongous Galaxy Note for a phone.
Based on the video, it is easy to understand Robohon's appeal. Aside from its communication and social "skills" it can also rival advanced robots such as Pepper and Asimo - all built in Japan - for its motor functions such as its capability to sit, get up on its own, walk and even dance.
