Entrepreneurs: Gatebox — Only the Lonely
by Miki SaxonI just read about a new product out of Japan.
In Japan, nearly two thirds of single people aren’t in a relationship and there are quasi-similar results in the US, although not exactly parallel. (The big difference in the studies is the focus on sex. Unlike Japan, not being in a relationship in the US has nothing to do with having/not having sex.)
However, craving companionship seems to be universal.
Enter Gatebox, which is similar to Amazon Echo, but with a platonic, She-like twist.
Yes, that is an artificially intelligent character who lives in a glass tube in your home. Her name is Azuma Hikari, and she’s the star of Gatebox — a $2,500 Amazon Echo-esque device that acts as a home assistant and companion.
At $2500 it isn’t cheap and there are a lot of caveats around it’s operation in the US, but that isn’t the point of this article.
The point is that even with a $2500 (298,000 yen) price tag and a year-long delivery wait it’s still pre-selling both here and Japan.
What a sad, lonely, connected world people inhabit these days.
Credit: info vinclu
