Sharp to Introduce Robot Smartphone in 2016

Sharp is all set to release a robot working as a smartphone too called the RoBoHon next year. Japanese electronic company Sharp lately featured a prototype of a smartphone at the Ceatec Electronics Show in Tokyo presenting the audience with a handset with the physical dimensions of a robot.

The RoBoHon is a combination of the words “robot” and “phone”. It will be 7.5 inches tall and will weigh 13.5 ounce and it also features an LCD screen on the body of a black and white robot. The RoBoHon has a 1.2Ghz quad core processor, a camera, a mic, and a speaker, and offers users text, call, and email capabilities, as well as Wi-Fi, LTE, and supports 3G too.

Sharp to Introduce Robot Smartphone in 2016

The handset, which will most probably fall within the tablet category in size, also acts as a personal digital assistant, and features a taxi hailer app, and a movie and image projector to view photos and videos taken with the smartphone’s camera. The RoBoHon is equipped with a facial recognition system instead of a fingerprint sensor or an iris scanner, and also acts as a talking alarm clock, alerts users of text messages which can be read aloud and reply can be made too, and also responds to questions and comments asked from it.

Besides from ringing during a call, the RoBoHon also prompts users to pick up the phone, informing them “they have a call,” and show maps of a location on a clear surface for individuals looking for a specific destination.

The RoBoHon also moves like a robot does, and can walk as well as dance to music upon voice command. It is geared to learn from its interactions with humans, constantly accumulating data from its environment. There have been questions about the practicality of a robot smartphone, specifically since the device may be big to hold, and to keep in a pocket or a handbag.