PaPeRo, an abbreviated name from Partner-type Personal Robot, is a prototype robot researched and developed by NEC Corp since 1997, with the intention of it becoming a partner for human beings and it being able to live together with them. Thus, it was built with various basic functions such as image, speech recognition, intelligence, sensor and software platform technologies for the purpose of interacting with people.

PaPeRo was here in Singapore with its designer, Mr Junichi Osada and the famous Japanese comedian, Mr Zenjiro, following their participation at the DIMEA 2007 conference in Perth, Australia last week. At the Singapore Science Centre, PaPe-Jiro (the comedian version of PaPeRo) together with Zenjiro, entertained about 120 school children from various primary schools in a 2-man standup comedy skit, while Mr Osada shared his knowledge and the R&D technologies behind the development of PaPeRo with researchers and students from the NUS Engineering Faculty, before ending the seminar with another skit appearance by PaPe-Jiro and Zenjiro.-NEC