World's first specialist robot shop to open in Nagoya robot museum
An artist's sketch of the completed Robot Museum in Nagoya.
NAGOYA -- Japan's first robot museum, scheduled to open in Nagoya in October, will feature the first specialized robot shop in the world, it has been learned.
The "Robot Mirai Department" store at the new Robot Museum in Nagoya will sell about 1,000 products, from real robots down to robot accessories.
"We want to fulfill the dreams of people who adore robots, from children right up to adults," said a representative of Osaka-based firm Gyrowalk, which planned the store.
The main product will be the two-legged walking robot Nuvo, designed by a robot manufacturer in Tokyo for home use. The 35-cenimeter-tall robot, which can be operated through remote controllers and cell phones and can be made to dance, is also able to recognize human voices and respond.
At 588,000 yen, the robot is not cheap, but store operators hope to attract buyers by targeting it at men in their 40s and others who grew up watching anime that featured robots.
Other products at the store include tin toys and items such as robot-themed cell phone straps.
The robot museum is scheduled to open in a renovated imported car showroom in Nagoya's Naka-ku at the beginning of October. (Mainichi)
August 27, 2006