Smartphones have become quite homogeneous over the years. While their internals can vary wildly, they generally tend to adopt the same design choices as each other as generations of the tech come and go. From the Samsung Galaxy to the iPhone, we’re now in an era that revolves around the notion that all consumers want large, crisp screens, a focus upon high-definition cameras they can use to record 1080p vlogs for their awful fledgling YouTube channel, and voice recognition software so on-point that it’s basically like having one of their friends trapped permanently in their pocket.
However, Sharp have thrown a curve ball into the mix with the introduction of RoboHon, a new Android-powered smartphone that takes the form of an adorable robot “pet.” Pocket-sized (though only just) and able to make calls, read out your messages and wake you up in the morning with a friendly little reminder of what you have planned for that day, RoboHon can also double up as a projector and even features voice recognition software.
Developed in Japan, the RoboHon will boast a Qualcomm Snapgradon Processor and 3G, Wi-Fi and LTE Internet functionality. Interestingly, RoboHon has been developed in collaboration with Tomotaka Takahashi, the RoboGarage CEO who most famously helped create Kirobo, the world’s first “robot astronaut” that made its way to the International Space Station.
RoboHon won’t have such lofty ambitions, though, with the robot mainly serving as a cute personal assistant who will make you look a little bit silly when you hold it to your head in order to make a call.
The RoboHon will be available in Japan in early 2016. Watch a commercial highlighting its various features below:
