Sharp announced today (May 19) that it will officially launch its flagship companion AI robot "Poketomo" in Taiwan on July 1 this year. This compact robot, with a suggested retail price of NT$12990, is equipped with Sharp's proprietary "CE-LLM" edge computing large-scale language model, which focuses on "Empathy Intelligence". It can not only talk to you in cute Chinese, but also "see" the world through the camera, remember your preferences, and even write a diary for you.
A Decade of Dedication: The Evolution from RoboHoN to Poketomo
Back in 2016, Sharp launched a communication robot that shocked the industry.RoBoHoNThis demonstrates Sharp's profound expertise in the field of robotics. The newly launched Poketomo can be seen as a culmination of Sharp's integration of the latest generative AI technologies.
The core of Poketomo comes from Sharp's "CE-LLM" (Communication Edge-LLM) technology platform. Unlike typical voice assistants that only provide a question-and-answer response, Poketomo possesses powerful memory and learning capabilities.
To make Taiwanese users feel more at home, Sharp's R&D team in Taiwan conducted in-depth Chinese voice training specifically for the imported version.
Four core functions: Companionship is no longer a one-way input.
Poketomo aims to break down the cold barriers between humans and machines, with its four core functions all revolving around "interaction and companionship":
• Empathy Intelligence:This is Poketomo's biggest selling point. The robot has an emotion-responsive light on its abdomen that evolves as the interaction with its owner deepens. Initially, it may only give simple "uh-huh" responses, but as the conversation increases, it will gradually understand your emotions and provide more human-like and considerate comfort and encouragement.
• Lens recognition "Look, look":The camera, cleverly hidden within its mouth design, gives Poketomo visual capabilities. Simply say "Look, look," and it can recognize its owner's face or the scenery and images in front of it, interacting with you through its unique AI perspective.
• Exclusive "Perspective Diary":The content of your daily chats won't be forgotten. Poketomo automatically records conversations and generates "Poketomo Perspective Diaries" from a cute first-person perspective, allowing users to relive life's moments anytime through the dedicated app.
• Highest level of privacy protection:Regarding the privacy concerns that users care about most, Sharp emphasizes that all conversations and video data will be encrypted and stored on Sharp's cloud servers in Japan to ensure that the owner's secrets are protected in the strictest way.
Hardware buyout + subscription model in parallel
In terms of business model, Poketomo adopts the dual-track model of "hardware purchase + software subscription" commonly used in smart companion robots.
• Hardware price:The suggested retail price for the robot itself is NT$12990.
• Monthly subscription plan:To maintain the quality of AI cloud computing, users need to subscribe to a plan. Sharp offers three tiers: "Friend Plan" (light usage 400 times/month, NT$128/month), "Intimate Plan" (medium usage 1600 times/month, NT$398/month), and "Close Friend Plan" (high usage unlimited, NT$598/month). New users can enjoy a free trial until the end of the following month.
Early bird pre-order discount information:
From now until June 30, 2026, Sharp is offering two limited-edition pre-order sets:
• Let's go home together (body + pedestal):Special offer price: NT$12990 (original price: NT$14280, equivalent to buying the device and getting a free desktop stand).
• Outing Set (Main Body + Stand + Travel Bag):Special offer price: NT$13990 (original price: NT$17270).
