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Build Your Own Walking, Talking, Singing Astro Boy Robot (for US$1,600)
posted on by Rafael Antonio Pineda
Tetsuwan Atom) manga. The highlight of the project is "Japan's first real character-based communication robot" that can speak and move.
Kodansha is streaming a series of videos that demonstrate the toy's functions, which include introducing itself, singing "Happy Birthday" (complete with the person's name), self-diagnostics, and use of an on-board camera to the faces of up to 12 family to greet them.
Like similar weekly hobby building projects, the parts of the robot will ship with issues of a new magazine titled Shūkan Tetsuwan Atom o Tsukurō (Weekly Let's Build Astro Boy). The first 830-yen (US$7.30) issue will launch on April 4, and the most of the remaining 69 weekly issues will cost 1,843 yen (US$16.28). However, some of the issues will cost more — from 2,306 yen (US$20.36) to 9,250 (US$81.66) yen — so the final grand total will be 184,474 yen (US$1,628 before taxes).
The project promises that the entire kit can be assembled with just one screwdriver. For people who don't want to build it, VAIO is offering 1,000 pre-built sets for 212,900 yen (US$1,879).
A television anime Makoto Tezuka, is in charge of project planning cooperation and supervision for the anime.
Source: PC Watch
