As a national research project, a group at Osaka University and others working on the research and development of avatars has developed an avatar robot modeled on Digital Minister Kono.
Minister Kono experienced operating a robot remotely.
This avatar robot was released on the 21st at the Japan Science and Technology Agency in Tokyo.
Minister Kono remotely operated the robot, and an alter ego avatar appeared at the venue.
Through the robot, Minister Kono said, "I'm Taro Kono. It's remotely operated, and it feels very strange. I want to," he said.
Developed by a research group led by Professor Hiroshi Ishiguro of Osaka University, the robot can remotely control 52 parts such as the eyes, mouth, and joints, and can move as if there were a person there.
It is also possible to reproduce Minister Kono's voice by synthesizing the voice of another person, rather than just transmitting the person's voice as it is.
This robot will play the role of explaining the merits of digitization, such as the significance of the My Number system, at events instead of Minister Kono as a public relations officer of the Digital Agency.