Space exploration may soon get a little easier with the help of a Japanese robot friend, a humanoid communication robot recently developed as part of the Kirobo project (named after "kibo" or hope in Japanese and "robot"), according to Yahoo! News.

"Russia was the first to go outer space, the U.S. was the first to go to the moon, we want Japan to be the first to send a robot-astronaut to space that can communicate with humans," Yorichika Nishijima, the Kirobo project manager, told the Associated Press.

Kirobo developers gathered today to discuss and demonstrate the humanoid robot's ability to talk. The experiment is a collaborative effort between advertising and PR company Dentsu Inc., the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, the University of Tokyo, Robo Garage and Toyota Motor Corp.

"When people think of robots in outer space, they tend to seek ones that do things physically," Tomotaka Takahashi, CEO of Robo Garage Co. and associate professor at the University of Tokyo, said to the AP. "But I think there is something that could come from focusing on humanoid robots that focus on communication." He said that he hopes robots like Kirobo will be able to assist astronauts working in outer space.

Kirobo, a humanoid-shaped robot, does not need to perform physical abilities, so he is smaller than his counterparts. The robot is only about 13 inches tall, weighing about 2.2 pounds. His land-based counterpart Mirata is almost identical in appearance, but is not designed to go into space.

Fuminori Kataoka, project general manager from Toyota, asked Kirobo what its dream was during the demonstration.

"I want to create a future where humans and robots can live together and get along," it answered.

Click here to see photos of Kirobo and its developers during the demonstration.

Kirobo will be launched from the Tanegashima Space Center on August 4, 2013.