Doraemon TV anime turns 30, birthday bot to follow

Look, no ears for Doraemon. These were apparently eaten off by rats! No wonder this blue cat despises rodents.

(Credit: Bandai Japan)

Claws unsheathed. If you remember the Hello Kitty ROBO back when the pink feline celebrated her 30th anniversary, it looks like there may be a cat fight in the works. Doraemon, the cat-like robot from the 24th century, is about to get its own birthday bot for 30 years of TV anime. Bandai Japan's will unleash a 6.3-inch-tall robot called, drumroll... "My Doraemon."

Here's where the one-upmanship comes in. While ROBO sports a rather fixed stare and is mostly stationary, Doraemon employs e-paper eyes capable of expressing up to 10 different emotions. It also has a light and motion sensor to react to where it is, as well as a clock and temperature sensor that lets it respond with "good morning," "good night," and other preset sentences.

Doraemon is a Japanese manga series that later became an anime series and an Asian franchise. The birthday bot, slated for a September 6 launch in Japan, is a bit pricey at 31,500 yen ($350) for such a tiny thing. Then again, anime fans of Doraemon probably know this anniversary collectible will likely have a short run. Blink, and it's gone.

Smaller in real life than in anime, Doraemon's bot stands about 6.3 inches short.

(Credit: Bandai Japan)

(Source: Crave Asia via New Launches)