Details Released about Hatsune Miku by iDoll x Nendoroid
Details Released about Hatsune Miku by iDoll x Nendoroid Following a Wildly Popular Appearance at Wonder Festival
Special website launched featuring functions, specs, and other information as well as a concept video
February 9, 2016
Yukai Engineering Inc. (headquartered in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo; Representative: Shunsuke
Aoki), on February 7, 2016, held a live exhibit and demonstration of Hatsune Miku by iDoll and
Nendoroid, a Nendoroid series robot doll produced in partnership with the Good Smile
Company, Inc. (headquartered in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo; Representative: Takanori Aki), at the
Wonder Festival 2016 [Winter], Japan's largest modeling event, staged at Makuhari Messe.
Yukai Engineering has also launched a special website featuring functions, specs, and other
details about the collaborative robot doll, along with a concept video.
Special website address: http://idoll.tokyo/3939/
Concept video address: https://youtu.be/EeN4yleogYU
Further details about Hatsune Miku by iDoll x Nendoroid
Functions, specs, and other information have been released on the special website.
Functions
• Sing & Dance: Hatsune Miku sings and dances just for you.
• Communicate: Hatsune Miku answers your questions in song and dance.
• Assist: Hatsune Miku lends a helping hand in combination with a smartphone app.
Features
• The Hatsune Miku robot doll has articulated joints in 10 locations, including her twintails,
neck, shoulders, elbows, and waist.
• The doll is about 11 centimeters tall, approximately 1.2times larger that the Nendoroid
Hatsune Miku 2.0.
• The pedestal has 15 motors, a speaker, and a microphone built in.
• The Good Smile Company, creator of the Nendoroid, supervised the modeling of the
character.
Concept video
“First communication” is the theme of the concept video announced today. Building
anticipation until startup. Surprise and delight at seeing Miku sing and dance. People speak
happily to Miku, as she goes through many reactions. The video portrays communication
between users and Miku while prizing these pure reactions. “Hajimete no Oto”, composed by
malo, is again used as the theme song, just as in the teaser video.
Concept video address: https://youtu.be/EeN4yleogYU
“Hajimete no Oto” (music and lyrics by malo, vocals by Hatsune Miku)
“Hajimete no Oto” is Hatsune Miku's original song, released on October 14, 2007. One of
malo's best known songs, it has received over 2.7 million plays. The song has another
connection; it was also used in a TV commercial created by the Good Smile Company in 2009.
Video link: http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm1274898
About iDoll technology and the Hatsune Miku by iDoll x Nendoroid collaboration
The goal of the iDoll was to develop a palmsized robot doll. To realize this concept, we focused on karakuri puppet technology from the Edo period. The iDoll was conceived by updating this ageold craft with modern technology.
The Yumihiki Doji [archer doll], created about 140 years ago, represents the pinnacle of Japan's karakuri puppetmaking. The Yumihiki Doji's movements are controlled by springs, cams, and strings. For the iDoll, we substituted motors and a control circuit board for the first two mechanisms. The iDoll, however, still uses strings in the same way as the Yumihiki Doji to connect the motors to each moving part. Using this combination of mechanisms, we fashioned a tiny doll capable of precisely controlled, agile movements.
The Hatsune Miku by iDoll x Nendoroid collaboration marks our entry among the many corporations and creators active in the fields of figurine modeling, which has developed into a unique art form in Japan, and Internetbased musical expressions and movement expressions, of which Hatsune Miku is a leading example. We hope to introduce Hatsune Miku by iDoll x Nendoroid to the world as a new cultural trend that brings together the technological strengths and expressiveness of Japan.
Report from the Wonder Festival 2016 [Winter]
Hatsune Miku by iDoll and Nendoroid was exhibited live in the Nendoroid 10th anniversary section of the Max Factory and Good Smile Company's Wonderful Hobby Life for You!! 23 booth at the Wonder Festival 2016 [Winter] held at Makuhari Messe on February 7.
At the exhibit, the Hatsune Miku robot doll showed off her dance moves to her hit songs “Hajimete no Oto” and “PoPiPo” and answered questions from visitors in song and dance.
About iDoll
The iDoll is a palmsized robot doll developed by Yukai Engineering and monom (Hakuhodo
Inc.). Idolls! can dance, say greetings, drop oneliners, and perform other movements while
speaking. In the same way music is enjoyed on speakers and videos are enjoyed on screens,
Yukai Engineering wants to build devices for enjoying movements. iDoll is the first project
based on this concept.
iDoll website: http://idoll.tokyo/
About Yukai Engineering
A robotics startup, Yukai Engineering is engaged in commercializing many IoT devices, such
as the BOCCO, a communication robot that brings families together, and the Konashi physical
computing toolkit. The company announced the iDoll in 2015 and won the 2015 Good Design
Award for BOCCO. Joint development projects include necomimi, a brainwavepowered
communication tool, and teamLabHanger, a nextgeneration hanger.
Corporate website: http://uxxu.com/
About the Good Smile Company
The Good Smile Company plans, creates, and manufactures figurines and toys. The company is
best known for its Nendoroid series, which was launched in 2006. Under this banner, the
company has produced collaborations with a wide variety of characters appearing in anime,
games, manga, and other products. The Nendoroid series is celebrating its 10th anniversary in
February 2016.
Corporate website: http://www.goodsmile.info/
About Hatsune Miku
Developed by Crypton Future Media, Inc., Hatsune Miku is a singing synthesizer application
that anyone can use to sing back songs by inputting lyrics and melodies. Hatsune Miku touched
off an instant movement, with masses of creators writing songs with Hatsune Miku and
uploading them on the Internet. Hatsune Miku has also drawn attention as a character and has
become famous worldwide as a virtual singer with a series of branded goods, live performances,
and other endeavors.
Official website: http://piapro.net
Hatsune Miku © Crypton Future Media, Inc. www.piapro.net
