Pororot is a mini AI-powered Pororo robot created by startup Jininsa. If you’re unfamiliar with Pororo, he’s pretty much one of Korea’s most beloved children’s animation characters.
Pororot isn’t so different from other smart speakers on the market — but instead of a simple speaker design, it’s made in the likeness of the famous cute penguin to engage children and encourage conversation. It’s the latest in a range of smart speakers released in Korea from companies like Kakao, SK Telecom and KT.
The robot’s main feature is a speech synthesizer which is based on machine learning to communicate with children. The device interacts with its own mobile app, and parents can type their own messages for Pororo to say – useful if your kid listens to their favorite cartoon friend more than you. All interactions are recorded on a timeline to help monitor development.
In addition to this, over 100 songs and traditional fairy tales are built into the app. According to Jininsa, more content will be regularly added to the app in the future.
As with many educational toys in Korea, Pororot also helps children learn English through flash card games. Pororo guides kids through the words and gives praise when kids get the right answer.
Pororot is powered by a 2,000mAh battery and has a standby time of 72 hours, and six hours of active use time. It connects to mobile devices via Bluetooth, but currently only supports Android, with an iOS app set to come out at the start of next year.
