Dr. Hideki Kozima developed this small yellow robot called Keepon during his time at the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology or NICT in Kyoto, Japan. This robot was created to study social development through interaction with kids.
Dr. Kozima, together with BeatBots’ Dr. Marek Michalowski, has been utilizing this robot to study the social development of children, especially those with autism. The robot gained its popularity when it went viral in March 2007 on YouTube, dancing to Spoon’s “I Turn My Camera On”.
It responds to various emotions and reacts when someone pokes, pats and squeezes. It shows various moods and makes different sounds. It has a microphone that enables it to hear music and start dancing rhythmically.
Features:
Natl. Inst. of Information and Communication Tech. (NiCT)
Carnegie Mellon U. (CMU)
