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2008 Grand Prize

Omnibot17μ i-SOBOT(Omnibot One-Seven Mu i-Sobot)
Tomy Company, Ltd.

The world’s smallest bipedal humanoid robot in mass production, as certified by Guinness World Records. With 17 proprietarily-developed ultra-small servo-motors, the product has about 200 action patterns. The company managed to make the robot very safe and durable so that it can be used at home, yet remains at an affordable price. Coming with highlysafe AAA NiMH batteries, this robot can operate for more than one hour between battery recharges, providing excellent energy efficiency.

After receiving the award, i-SOBOT has been in the limelight thanks to various TV programs, newspapers, magazines, and other mass media, and has been widely known to the public. We have been invited to join various robot shows in Japan and abroad, and we are sure that we succeeded in make known the uniqueness of robot technologies in Japan. Furthermore, staff in-house were also able to further their understanding of robots and we are stepping our efforts in facilitating the development of new robots.

A robot which can conduct various actions with excellent balance, speak, play instrument, and even perform music while moving

The i-SOBOT uses a gyro-sensor that automatically adjusts balance while walking. It provides more than 200 actions and speaks about 180 words and 90 kinds of sound effects, each of which matches the respective action, plays musical instruments, dances, and can impersonate people.

A robot which is friendly to people and the earth and stands firmly without batteries

Considering its use at home, the i-SOBOT is designed with a focus on safety and durability. If excessive force is applied, it absorbs the shock so that it is not easily broken. Powered by highlysafe AAA NiMH batteries “eneloop” available on the market, it is capable of action for 60 minutes or more on one charge as it is very energy efficient, which enables it stand without being powered on. This means it uses the least energy compared with any other mass-produced bipedal robots in the world. The i-SOBOT has been chosen as the mascot for an energy-saving contest, and is playing a key role in education programs held in Japan and abroad to teach the importance of the global environment and energy-saving.

A. Certified by Guinness World Records as the world’s smallest bipedal humanoid robot, it has successfully entered mass production!

Ultra-small servo-motors enable a small body. At 16.5 cm in height, the Omnibot17μ i-SOBOT was certified by Guinness World Records as the world’s smallest humanoid robot in mass production in 2006 and listed in the 2007 Guinness Book of World Records.

The world’s smallest bipedal humanoid robot is now being mass produced.
Using the “servo unit μ,” a proprietary compact, Japanese-made ultra-small servo-motor, the i-SOBOT was certified by Guinness World Records in 2006 as the world’s smallest bipedal humanoid robot in mass production and listed in the 2007 Guinness Book of World Records. With 17 joint parts, the i-SOBOT has successfully been put to practical use, as it is only 16.5 cm tall, weighs 350g, is easily carried in one hand, and is inexpensive at 29,800 yen (excluding consumption tax).

Simple operability pleases all users.
The i-SOBOT comes fully assembled and the user can enjoy operating it immediately after purchase. Easy controlling allows everyone to handle it. In programming mode, the user can make original programs as he/she likes, for a maximum of 240 actions. The robot is equipped with the function to recognize sounds, also enabling the user to operate the robot by oral instructions as if he/she talks to the robot, without using a controller. In terms of design, the i-SOBOT won the gold award of the 2008 Good Design Award, and was displayed in the exhibition “WA: The Sprit of Harmony and Japanese Design Today,” which was held for two years around the world. The robot was chosen as one of Japan's representative designs. The i-SOBOT has been chosen as a mascot for an energy-saving contest, and is playing a key role in education programs to teach the importance of the global environment and energy-saving. The company has received a lot of comments from many of the people who actually operated the robot in the events, to the effect that they have become interested in studying robotics and science.

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2008 Grand Prize

Omnibot17μ i-SOBOT(Omnibot One-Seven Mu i-Sobot) Tomy Company, Ltd.

A robot which can conduct various actions with excellent balance, speak, play instrument, and even perform music while moving

A robot which is friendly to people and the earth and stands firmly without batteries

A. Certified by Guinness World Records as the world’s smallest bipedal humanoid robot, it has successfully entered mass production!

Omnibot17μ i-SOBOT(Omnibot One-Seven Mu i-Sobot)
Tomy Company, Ltd.