Actually, i-SOBOT is available now for $325 at Neiman-Marcus online

http://www.neimanmarcus.com/store/catalog/prod.jhtml?itemId=prod45680001&parentId=cat9710736?ci_src=17588969ci_sku=NMOF8_Z6817

which they are calling an "NM Exclusive." Seems like a small premium to get N-M service. They have a video there too. Interesting that Takara-Tomy gave N-M an exclusive selling period.

Enough speculating. Somebody hurry up and buy one and let us know what you think! (I wish I had the $$$ to buy one...)

No need to beat your bush anymore. Guinness World Records has recently certified i-SOBOT robot from Takara-Tomy as "The world's smallest humanoid robot in production." Robots Dreams has a funny photo of the actual certificate and a video:
http://www.robots-dreams.com/2007/07/tomy-i-sobot-ro.html

Congratulations Takara-Tomy!

The official Takara-Tomy website shows how it works here (Japanese only, but the animated demonstration is pretty self explanatory.)

http://www.takaratomy.co.jp/products/kotoridayori/

Actually, roughly translated, "kotoridayori" means "little bird message" in Japanese--nothing to do with hummingbirds. The interesting thing about this product is that the bird can be removed from the stand. It uses the solar powered charger to charge its batteries, then when held in the palm of the hand, two small contacts on the bottom activate the singing when the bird is moved. Children find it fun to hold it in their hand and make it chirp. When it is charging on the stand, vibration activates the singing but it does have an off switch too.

The correct name is actually "Dacky," from the Japanese word "Dakko" which means "hug." I've been testing Dacky for a couple of months and like its predecessors in Takara-Tomy's "Healing Partner" series (Yumel and Nerul) Dacky has an internal clock/ calendar and multiple sensors which allow it to react realistically to its environment. But Dacky adds a new level of sophistication and interaction because he changes over time and his development (or regression) is dependent on the amount of attention he gets.

He starts out very shy and communicates only in dog whines and growls but over time begins to speak more and more Japanese. Besides the "normal" conversation expected of a puppy he eventually begins to recount his travels around the world. He even mixes in occasional foreign language phrases that he's picked up along the way. Eventually, Dacky develops to the point where he will even interact with conversation. He's very cute and very huggable. His "puppy dog eyes" are even more sophisticated than Yumel, since both the inner eye and the eye lid move independently.

Dacky sells for JPY8,400 (incl. 5% tax). The official website is here with more photos and the Dacky story (Japanese only):
http://www.takaratomy.co.jp/products/dacky/product/index.html

To be fair, Takara-Tomy doesn't claim that this is "the world's smallest robot" of any kind, but rather (roughly translating from the Japanese) that this is the "world's smallest bi-pedal humanoid shaped robot" and I think that mass production is also implied. I saw this robot at Takara-Tomy's Toy Forum last week and, unlike Robosapiens, which technically only hobbles, this robot uses multiple servos in the legs and gyro technology to actually walk. The Takara-Tomy website has a press release in Japanese here:

http://www.takaratomy.co.jp/ir/release/press/index.html

Btw, back in 2005 Takara already claimed the smallest mass produced programmable robot (at the time) with their "Walkie bits" turtle robot. See June 21, 2005 link here (English):

http://www.takaratomy.co.jp/ir/english/press_takara.html#002

Today I attended the Takara-Tomy Toy Forum in Tokyo and I can say that it actually is not quite as big as it appears in that CG image above, but also the reason it is not smaller is that it is designed to also be played as a stand-alone LCD game including its own sound (using headphones).