The cost of your spitting image? 20.1 million yen

The other day, I received a long and narrow parcel from an acquaintance in Gunma Prefecture. It bore two stickers, one of which said "perishable," the other "fragile." Inside was jinenjo (Japanese wild yam) as thick as an adult's arm. It was so shapely that it made me think of a sculpture that needs to be handled with utmost care so as not to break it.

Perishable and fragile are two very distinct characteristics that we tend to associate with different objects. When it comes to items sent by parcel delivery services, the only other thing I can think of that fits both descriptions is melon.

I feel the same element of surprise about robots that are made to resemble humans. Machines that seem to be covered by human skin are both hard and soft, warm and cold at the same time.

To drum up publicity for the start of new year business, a department store group announced it would accept orders for specially made humanoid robots. Only two would be put on sale, each priced at 20.1 million yen (about $219,000) in honor of the year, 2010. Despite the cost, the group said it received dozens of orders.

Tokyo-based robot developer Kokoro Co. will spend six months making the robots look and sound like the buyers, who will be chosen by lottery. According to the company, the robots will have facial and bodily features and voices that resemble their owners. They will use words prepared in advance with expressions and gestures that befit their speech. If I were to spend a fortune on a humanoid robot, I might want it to look like someone else--but on second thought, it may be fun to have a robot that looks just like me.

The more robots look and act like humans, the more people tend to like them. However, when they reach a certain point, the favorable impression turns into a feeling of revulsion, according to experts. The revulsion will disappear if robots look and act exactly like humans. They call the stage in which robots resemble humans in a half-baked way "a valley of eeriness," I read in the book "Robotto no Iru Kurashi" (Life with robots), edited by Robo LDK Jikkoiinkai.

Humanoid robots bring together humans and machines that are very different from each other in an attempt to cross the "valley." Since the robots on sale are said to weigh about 100 kilograms, when they are transported, they must be treated as large machinery rather than fragile objects. But I wish I could attach a small sticker that says "perishable" in a corner of the package.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Jan. 6