It is no secret that Japan faced a demographic crisis. The death rate exceeds the birth rate. Of course, this is caused by many factors but one of the most important is the isolation of the Japanese. In 2016, the study showed that 70 percent of unmarried men and 60 percent of unmarried women are not in relationships. Apparently, the communication with each other given the Japanese hard. But they can have a virtual partner Gatebox.
Gatebox is a Japanese response to Amazon Echo and Google Home. The main difference is that the device shows the owner of a virtual character living in a transparent flask. Her name is Azuma Hiraki, and have it in your house for $ 2,700 by purchasing the device Gatebox.
Like other domestic assistants, Azuma Hiraki can tell you the weather and anything else. But as you can see, this character is much more humanized. Gatebox equipped with a display that will show you the girl and also the microphone and camera, by which it will monitor the user.
The company that manufactures the Gatebox, makes it clear that the device is not only designed for smart home control, but in order to become a real companion and friend in communication. Azuma is positioned not as a helper but as a friend that closed the Japanese will be able to find a common language.
She even will send their owners text messages during the day, implying, as she waits for them to return home. The only thing the owners did not get from her is a sexual relationship.
At the moment Gatebox only works in the Japanese language, but the producers are considering adding other languages if the product will find popularity in other markets.
The Japanese got himself a “friend in the flask” instead of Google Home, and Amazon Echo
Ernest Vasilevskiy