Whatever has happened to Sega since the glory days pre-Dreamcast, it isn’t pretty. Its latest toy robot goes on sale in Japan towards the end of September and is – get this – a tiny plastic woman specially trained to dispense kisses. Ugh.
Admittedly, the Eternal Maiden Actualisation (or EMA) is a licensed version of a still-unreleased machine from Hong-Kong firm WoWee, but that doesn’t make it any less creepy.
Knows what you’re after
Anyone desperate enough to splash out the ¥18,600 (£88) EMA costs gets a 38cm-tall vision in white plastic flares that is sure to set pulses racing.
Not only can EMA navigate obstacles with the aid of infrared sensors, she can also work out when her owner is looming large and puckered-up.
Should that happen, the mechanoid instantly switches to what Sega calls ‘love mode,’ in which she shapes to impart a kiss to whatever it is that’s puckered and makes smoochy noises in Japanese. Pass the sick bag.
More tricks up its sleeve
Such nonsense aside, EMA performs some reasonable tricks that fit in with Sega’s previous toy robots, such as iDog.
These include copying gestures, reacting to music and banishing herself to where the Sun doesn’t shine. OK, we made that last one up, but still…
