A world where you can live and interact with your favorite animated character may not be as far off and impossible as it sounds.

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Source: YouTube

Well, to a certain degree. Gatebox, conceptually developed by Japanese startup vinclu Inc., is the world's first "Hologram Communication Robot", and is designed to access and control Internet of Things devices in your house in order to be your own personal assistant. Gatebox serves as a robotic device that projects an A.I. operated hologram of your favorite character to assist you with daily duties.

Using hologram projection technology and a wide array of sensors, Gatebox is able to detect certain behaviors of its owner and communicate with them. By accessing and controlling internet devices in the house, Gatebox can turn on the television for you, access weather information, and search the web for information to help you--making it a suped-up digital character version of Siri that controls your room's internet devices, essentially.

Here's a promotional video showing off how the Gatebox will ideally work.

Gatebox is a support robot, and uses sensors to detect your behavior.

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Source: YouTube

So it'll wish you goodbye if you have to take off.

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Source: YouTube

Internet access allows Gatebox to access television and for you at your leisure.

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Source: YouTube

As well as provide you with a weather forecast--once Gatebox detects that you have woken up.

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Source: YouTube

At the moment, the only available character is the hologram girl featured in the promotional video--Azuma Hikari. However, the site labels her as the "first character", so the possibility of others being developed, or perhaps even the possibility of inputting your own desired aesthetic seem likely. The goal is to create a hologram support robot corresponding to your own interests and personality, delivering a unique experience. So while other options with similar-functions exist, Gatebox's selling point would be the dynamic of using voice commands to communicate with a fleshed out character in your room.

Gatebox is still gathering crowd funding and set to be released in Autumn of 2016. Depending on the advances made, perhaps the site's claim that this is the "otaku dream come true" won't be so far-fetched after all.


By - grape Japan editorial staff.