The world's first robotic mobile phone RoBoHon, a pocket-size walking and dancing robot, has gone on sale in Japan with a cafe being opened so customers can test the product.
The human-shaped smartphone, developed by Japanese company Sharp and engineer Tomotaka Takahashi, inventor of the first robot astronaut Kirobo, went on sale on Thursday with a base price of Y198,000 ($A2500).
To mark the launch, the Osaka-based company opened the RoBoHon Cafe in Tokyo where visitors can test the robot until June 7, according to local news.
The Japanese electronics manufacturer is producing 5000 units per month, aiming to be the leader of this type of mobile after sealing a takeover agreement with the Taiwanese company Hon Hai, also known as Foxconn, which assembles iPhones and iPads for Apple.
Apart from being used as a mobile, the 19.5-centimetre-tall humanoid robot weighing 390 grams could be used as a projector to display video, photos or maps. It also offers a wide range of applications based on conversation with the android.
RoBoHon can also recognise faces of people using its front camera and then address them by name.
