Japanese toy manufacturer Tomy unveiled Wednesday the "Robi jr.," a multi-talented humanoid robot which can converse using around 1,000 phrases and vocalize 50 songs, as well as move its head and limbs.

Designed by established roboticist Tomotaka Takahashi, the Japanese-speaking robot would be put on the market by early 2015 for the cost of 15,000 yen, or US$140, per model at physical and online retailers in Japan.

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A Chinese version of the robots will also be launched in Hong Kong and Taiwan around the same time, an official of the company said after Robi jr. was showcased at the Japan Robot week exhibition in Tokyo.

The 7.9-inch tall, big-eyed robot was designed to look like a six-year-old child, according to Tomy. The firm also said that the robot sports voice recognition software and calendar functions so it can reply when people ask about the time.

When asked to sing a song, the robot will answer, "Okay. Then let's sing along together" or "No. Ask me later because I am busy," depending on "its mood".

The company said it intends to sell 50,000 units of Robi jr. annually in Japan.

Meanwhile, another company has created a group of robots that can sing and dance in unison, but unlike Robi jr., they will never be released on the market.

Japanese company Murata Manufacturing has revealed the Murata Cheerleaders, the company's third android model, to showcase the firm's ability in creating technological devices.

While the Murata Boy rides a bicycle and the Murata Girl rides a unicycle, the Murata Cheerleaders are balancing atop metal balls, flashing lights and dancing in unison while doing so.

The cheerleaders are utilizing gyroscopic sensors fitted with inverted-pendulum controls to maintain its vertical posture, which the company's Koichi Yoshikawa said was no easy feat. Even pushing the robot with moderate pressure to make it fall over is not enough to make Murata's creation fall flat on its back.

However, for a group of the balanced robots to dance simultaneously, the devices need to be equipped with microphones that can pick up ultrasonic audio and infrared sensors to recognize obstacles in their environment and figure out their relative locations.

With help from researchers from Kyoto University, Murata has developed technology that aids the robots to communicate their positions, letting them act in uniformity. The dance routines are currently pre-programmed, but Yoshikawa said that the company is presently developing  a system to enable real-time editing of the robots' choreography.

TagsTomy, Humanoid Robot, Robi jr., Tomotaka Takahashi, Murata Manufacturing, Murata Boy, Murata Girl, Murata Cheerleaders