Future Of Romance: First Virtual Girlfriend Has Been Designed In Japan

The world is evolving quite first especially with the new inventions of advanced technologies that have influenced different spheres of our lives. Every field has something new to offer. For instance, you can have someone from Aussie Writings write a good paper for you with just a click of a button.

Different countries have done quite a lot to manufacture the best technologies in the world. Japan is one of these countries and they have recently put their resources into a new technology in romance. A Japanese company startup company Gatebox have created a hologram digital virtual female assistance that is designed to provide companionship especially for people who live alone.

It's quite a masterpiece that has taken everyone by surprise. In this section, we look at what the new breed of virtual assistant has to offer. Read on.

Features

With the buzz that is going around about this technology, it must have outstanding features. We have heard of Alexa, the voice inside Amazon Echo, which is appealing and others such as Cortana and Siri that are artificially made assistants that are appealing. But none of these can compare with the experience provided by Gatebox’s Hikari Azuma. She is a 20-year-old digital assistant according to her website. She enjoys eating donuts and watching anime and her hobby is making fried eggs. She dislikes insect buther dream is to become a heroine and help people who are working hard.

Dressed in a short skirt, Hikari is housed in a high-tech glass box that resembles a coffee machine. Just like other digital virtual assistants like Amazon Echo and Google Home, she is capable of controlling household appliances, devices, and most of all, suggest helpful ideas especially related to the expected weather.

She apparently “uses her own judgment” to give suggestions to her master in her healing voice. The more you spend time with her, the more she is able to recognize your daily patterns and habits and fit to your schedule.

The technology is fitted with cameras, microphones, and sensors that help to detect temperature and motion. This allows her to interact with her master at a personal level. She comes with a Bluetooth and a permanent connection to the internet. She can be hooked up to a computer or TV through an HDMI cable. She also comes with a messaging app, where you can communicate with her when you're away. This is highlighted as the major selling points in Gatebox's promotional video.

This device is set to be released in December 2017. The good news is that you can pre-order on the company’s website. It will work in the U.S with the first production being around 300 units for a cost of $2,600 each which is a bit higher than other virtual assistants. Google Home goes for $129 while Amazon’s Echo costs $179.99.

Note that at the moment, Hikari can only communicate in Japanese.

How will the creepy virtual assistant influence the Japanese society?

Providing companionship for lonely people is where Hikari help will be needed most. A recent study showed that about 32 percent of single household make up a huge segment in Japan. In another 20 years to come, it is estimated that a third of all the Japanese men will be single for the rest of their lives. Therefore, artificially intelligent virtual assistance like Hikari will be of great help.
 
In Japan, the birth rate is around 1.4 children per woman. Compare this with 2.1 which is the expected rate for population stability. This is not the lowest in the world. Germany has a lower birth rate and recently America birth rate dropped to 1.86. But Japan has both low birth rate accompanied by strict immigration restrictions. This combination has led to the speed aging of the Japan’s population. There is also the issue of lack of steady employment opportunities that have led to lower economies of scale for Japanese men to marry.
 
Unlike U.S and Europe who are turning to home assistants for entertainment and efficiency, Japan may go for a holographic wife to deal with the troubled socio-economic situation.

Conclusion

So, the days of having human assistant may be slowly fading away. The new digital virtual assistant seems to be the next big thing. This device is designed to be your companion who can wake you up in the morning, outline your daily tasks, suggestions of how the weather will be, remind you of the important things, and even welcome you back home when your return from work.It displays a high level of intelligence and everyone is eager to know how the experience will be.


About author: Olivia is a journalist who is always ready to experience new things and share this experience with others. She is passionate about art and writing. Therefore, she usually spends time writing new articles or traveling around the world. Follow Olivia on Facebook and Twitter.