This cute robot from Japan helps families keep in touch, controls your smart home

Shunsuke Aoki is a husband and father of two first and an entrepreneur second. As the CEO of Tokyo-based startup Yukai Engineering, he’s actively realizing a childhood dream – building robots – while bearing in mind his own children’s interactions with technology.

Founded in 2007, Yukai has spawned a number of cute robots and other fun gadgets. It gained international attention in 2011 after co-creating Necomimi – anime-inspired cat ears that respond to a wearer’s brain waves. Bocco, the startup’s latest creation, is what brought Aoki to the Arena stage today.

“Adults are connected – too connected – to social media,” he says. “When I look at my Facebook timeline I see what my friends ate for lunch, where they’re going after work – but what’s more important to me is knowing what my kids ate, when they got home from school. I wanted a timeline of my children’s activities, but without giving them smartphones.”

Bocco, a small desktop robot, allows children to send short, 20-second voice recordings to their parents’ smartphones. A connected door sensor also sends alerts to parents when their children leave the house and return home. Parents can send messages back to Bocco, either as voice recordings or text messages (250 characters maximum). Bocco is capable of reading text messages in English or Japanese, a useful feature in situations where sending a voice message might be rude or awkward (i.e. at work or on a crowded train).

Aoki says the device is meant for children ages three to 11, or any age where parents may be concerned with giving a child their own smartphone. He adds that it’s a great way for entrepreneurs and businesspeople who are constantly traveling for work to keep in touch with loved ones.

Bocco isn’t only for parents and kids, however. The CEO also envisions it being used to keep in touch with elderly relatives who live alone – Bocco has only 2 buttons (play/record) and a volume knob, so it’s easier to operate than a smartphone or computer. Because Bocco communicates by sound, it could also be used by people with disabilities or visual impairments. Aoki hopes that future version will be used as a central hub for controlling internet-of-things (IoT) devices.

“Robots can save us from staring at screens and panels all day,” Aoki says. “Voice control through a robot will be the best way to manage your smart home in the future.”

After being exhibited at CES and SXSW earlier this year, Bocco raised US$27,000 on Kickstarter, surpassing its modest US$20,000 goal. It’s also being sold through DMM.make’s online store in Japan, and Yukai is in talks with Tokyo Otaku Mode and Amazon for international distribution.

Apart from a government grant that awarded the startup JPY 6 million (about US$60,000) per year in 2008 and 2009, Yukai has been fully bootstrapped. It’s profitable thanks to a steady stream of client work , but the team hopes to raise funding to give more attention to its in-house projects.

“We’re making money, but it’s difficult to focus on new products,” Aoki says. “We need help promoting Bocco, especially, so we’re currently seeking venture capital for the first time.”

The Arena judges weigh in

The judges appeared generally skeptical of Yukai’s claim that its “robot UI” would become a popular way to control smart appliances.

Akio Tanaka, co-founder and managing partner at Infinity Venture Partners, immediately asked how much Bocco costs – about US$240 according to Aoki. Tanaka felt the cost was high “for a walkie-talkie,” briefly mentioning Amazon’s US$5 Dash button, and also appeared disappointed that it only comes bundled with one sensor at that price point.

Batara Eto, co-founder and managing partner at East Ventures, asked how Bocco communicates with other devices. Aoki explained that his startup’s robot can interact with most connected appliances in Japan, but admitted that universal integration is still in development.