The Japanese HTV-4 cargo vessel launched on Sunday, beginning its journey to the International Space Station. Along with 3,5 tons of supplies for the astronauts aboard the space station, a tiny talking robot will join the crew. Dentsu, the University of Tokyo, Robo Garage and Toyota worked together on the Kibo Robot Project to build Kirobo, the talking robot.

So why is Japan sending an expensive talking robot into space? Space loneliness. Essentially, Kirobo is intended to be a cure for loneliness in general, and what better place to test it than aboard the International Space Station? If all goes well, Kirobo will solve “the problems brought about by a society that has become more individual and less communicative. Nowadays, more and more people are living alone”.

The cargo vessel is set to dock with the space station on 10 August 2013, and a little later in August Kirobo will say its first words. The study of the human-robot interaction will begin in December.

[Source: Forbes, YouTube]