Uncanny Valley 2: Hello Kitty edition
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We've been freaked out quite well enough by the original Acroid DER bot, but now Kokora, a Sanrio Group company (yes, that Sanrio), is busting out Acroid DER2 with skinner arms, better hair, and a snazzy little inter-Sanrio shout-out in the form of a Hello Kitty tee. The Hello Kitty fembot, as this uncanny specimen shall be henceforth named, also includes a wider repertoire of expressions, which are supposedly smoother, making it more likely that innocent bystanders will be fooled, and hardcore robot/Hello Kitty enthusiasts like us will have haunted dreams. If you're man enough to navigate the uncanny valley, you can rent the HKfb for events for a mere 400,000 Yen ($3,389 US), which gets you 5 days with the fembot, though we suppose delivery costs to the US won't be cheap, and "choreography" charges do apply as well.