MEET Kirobo Mini. It is Japan’s talking robot. According to Bloomberg News, Kirobo is from Toyota Motor Corp. Touted as an invention for “one giant leap for robot-kind,” Kirobo will be the first humanoid into space to converse with astronauts.
The world’s No. 1 automaker will start selling the 4-inch, talking Kirobo all across Japan in early 2017. Priced at $390, Kirobo, small enough to fit into a car cupholder, can respond to human emotions, moving with its head and hands while engaging in conversation.
What an achievement. It is man’s genius again at work.
Steve Jobs must be turning in his grave. Why he had to leave us so soon and not seen Kirobo, only God knows.
But it’s time, indeed, to stop wondering why inventions seem so finite. In this era of tablets, techies and, yes, even newspaper redesign (what’s that, again?), everything is possible.
Since the invention of the bread toaster, nothing is impossible anymore.
One day, you can walk on water and not hear anymore anyone shouting at you: “Hey, you, ass ____, who do you think you are, Jesus Christ?”
Very soon, cars will fly, too, resulting in traffic-free surface roads.
Hasn’t E.T. flown his pedal-powered bike not too long ago?
Even buses, jeepneys and cabs can have their own lanes for exclusive use at Edsa. And, mind you, they’d be in elevated platforms, so that they’d be freed from kotong cops. Always, you’ll find them filled with smiling passengers, enjoying comfortable rides from sunrise to sundown. The view from above would be a feast to the eye.
So, who needs emergency powers to fix vehicle jams in the metropolis?
Just a little imagination would do the trick, fellas.
But traffic jungle will soon be merely transferred in midair, you say?
Not at all.
Air space is so huge that there is room for everybody up there. Besides, your cars need not fly all the time as they can still be utilized on the ground when traffic flow is as smooth as silk—thanks to carmakers, like Toyota, which never stop inventing, innovating.
Just one press of a button and you glide from up smoothly down an open area clear of orange-colored plastic barriers at Edsa.
A press of another button would make you take off vertically in a blur, thus, minimizing mobility and doing away with so much space for maneuverability. Good for traffic management, di ba?
And what do we make of the MRTs and LRTs?
Ah, chicken feed. They’d be transformed from deficient to efficient that you will never, ever see a single train break down. In your next lifetime, that is. Why? Both transport systems will be relocated to areas near Abu Sayyaf strongholds in Mindanao.
So, have faith. God loves everybody, including pasaways from both inside and outside of New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa. Their immunities waived even.
Sunshine TV’s Car Awards
FETED last night (Thursday) were the winners in the 2016 Auto Focus People’s Choice Awards, with event founder Ray Butch “Elvis” Gamboa gleefully giving away the trophies at the Green Valley Ballroom in Pasig City.
As usual, the jam-packed affair drew consistent applause from a crowd steeped in car knowledge each time a winning vehicle was announced.
Among the proud winners were Honda’s Toshio Kuwahara; BMW’s Maricar Parco and Bobby Rosales; Volkswagen’s JP Orbeta and Arnel Doria; Mitsubishi’s Froi Dytianquin; Benz’s Greg Yu and Felix Ang; Nissan’s Dax Avenido; Toyota’s Satoru Suzuki and Sherwin ChuaLim; and Lexus’s Danny “Sir John” Isla.
Lexus and Toyota swept the major awards as the Lexus RX350 was voted the Luxury Automobile of the Year and the Toyota Fortuner the Automobile of the Year, the victories coming both in the Big Pistons categories.
Toyota ran away with all the Hall of Fame trophies as Innova emerged MPV of the Year in 2007, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016; HiAce Van of the Year for five straight years from 2012 to 2016; and Fortuner as Midsize SUV of the Year in 2006, 2007, 2014, 2015 and 2016.
Other Winners of the Year: Honda City as Subcompact, Mercedes-Benz A as Class Luxury Subcompact, Honda Civic as Compact Sedan, Lexus IS350 as Luxury Compact Sedan, Honda Accord as Midsize Sedan, Lexus as Luxury Midsize Sedan, Honda Legend as Luxury Large Sedan, Mazda MX-5 as Sportscar, Lexus RCF as Luxury Sportscar, Mercedes-Benz B Class as Luxury MPV, Toyota HiLux as Pickup, Honda Odyssey as Luxury Van, Ford Escort as Compact SUV, Lexus RX350 as Luxury Compact SUV, Fortuner as Midsize SUV, Lexus GX460 as Luxury Midsize SUV, Jeep Wrangler as Large SUV, Lexus LX570 as Luxury Large SUV, Nissan Juke as Open and Lexus NX200t as Luxury Open.
PEE STOP Prayers for the speedy recovery of our good friend Johnny Tan of Wheel Gallery. He underwent a procedure to energize his heart. Get well soon, Johnny. Sammy Leung needs you badly. Your dearest Sahlee, too…Cheers to Chito Santa Romana for his appointment as our ambassador to China. President Duterte hit the bull’s-eye as his pick is tailor-fit for the post. Chito, who I’ve known since our college days, has spent practically half of the best years of his life in the country founded by the eminent Chairman Mao. Godspeed, Chito!