Ever since Sony Corp. and Honda Motor Co. unveiled prototypes of humanoid robots last year, expectations have been growing that they can be developed to carry out household chores and used for entertainment.
Sony has debuted the 50-cm Sony Dream Robot, which can perform dance steps and even martial arts movements, but the company is striving to develop a more elaborate robot that will become a mainstay of household entertainment.
Honda, on the other hand, is set to launch this autumn a rental business for its ASIMO robots, which are capable of walking on two legs like humans.