$1,300 AI 'wife' that can chat with you, call you 'master' and all you need to do is give her $14 every month for living expenses
A firm in Japan is hoping that a small holographic girl they have created could someday be your romantic partner. The small anime girl, called Aizuma Hikari, is only a few inches tall inside of a cylindrical projector. The system has the capability to communicate with its owners, who are called "masters", through the speakers on the system and through an app, said the Japanese tech firm, Gatebox, that created it. The firm, based in the capital city of Tokyo, said that the new technology is using "single men who live alone" as the target audience to sell the product. The system has only just started mass production for 150,000 yen (US$1,352).
The tiny holographic character is about 8 inches tall and she talks to her "husband" from inside a cylinder which has a plastic barrier. Aside from the price that people have to buy the product, the owners are also required to pay a subscription fee of 1,500 yen (US$13.52) per month to keep the character from becoming outdated, which the firm has described as "living expenses", reported the Daily Mail.
The system has a stereo speaker, camera, microphone, tracking sensors, temperature and humidity sensors, and light sensors. This allows the character to interact with the users "on a more personal level".
The firm also boasts that the anime woman will "always try her best to serve [her] husband". The system also has a dual microphone which is able to pick up speech. The firm said, "This will enable characters to communicate actively, for example smiling to masters when characters find them, welcoming home masters by automatic detection."
They also added, "Hikari Aizuma is a character with a comforting charm. Hikari Aizuma will grow to be the user's ideal wife after further updates." Aizuma not only has the ability to detect the presence of her owner in the home but can also control the lighting and home appliances inside the house.
Taro Minoboshi was the man who designed the holographic assistant and the character was voiced by Japanese actress, Yuka Hiyamzu. According to the Japanese firm, the assistant acts like a "pleasing girlfriend who sends text messages to wish you a pleasant day". The system also has wireless LAN, Bluetooth, and infrared capabilities which lets you control appliances such as the television, lights, and air conditioning. Gatebox also plans to add a supporting AI assistant called "Clova" to the system provided by LINE Corporation very soon.
The real question is, how does it work? The system makes use of the rear projection to be able to give the illusion of the anime character being 3D. A hidden screen is present in the center of the tube and the system can also be plugged into the TV. An HDMI port has also been provided to be able to connect to a bigger screen.