Tomohiko Onishi

Abstract:
POO-CHI of the KOKO-ROBO Series is a dog-shaped toy robot targeting girls of about 10 years old. To date, it has recorded sales of about 19,000,000. POO--CHI sings, moves its legs, and changes the expression of its eyes based on different input to its sensors. Its safety features prevent fingers of children from being caught in the legs of the robot by accident. The main challenge in its development was to reconcile lower cost with functions, especially those that make POO--CHI appear smarter.

Keywords: POO--CHI, pet robot, kokorobot