New Japanese robot dog sniffs out smelly feet

If you don’t dare to ask a friend, one Japanese start-up might have the answer with a new robot dog that will sniff your feet and give you a pitilessly honest verdict — even fainting if the stink is especially strong.

Malodorous feet can be socially awkward in Japan where shoes are removed at the entrance to every home.

Hana-chan — a play on the Japanese word for “nose” and a common girl’s nickname — is a helpful little robot mutt who will bark if she detects moderately whiffy toes, but will keel over if the pong is particularly pungent.

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The 15-centimetre (6-inch) dog, equipped with an odour detection sensor for a nose, also sprays air freshener to resolve the situation if the aroma is unbearable.

Manufacturers Next Technology created the robot in response to a request from a man who was desperate to know if he had a problem.

“He told us his daughter had said his feet were smelly… But he didn’t want to know how bad the odour was because he would feel hurt,” employee Kimika Tsuji said.

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“That’s why we developed this cute robot.”

Tsuji said smells are becoming more of an issue in Japan, a place where subjecting others to your honking body can even be considered harassment.

In July, Konica Minolta, a Japanese tech company, began pre-sales of a pocket-sized device that allows people to self-test three categories of smell on a scale from 0 to 100.

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Next Technology plans to start selling the robot dog early next year, with a price tag of more than 100,000 yen ($9,280).

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By Agence France Presse
Read more on these topics: Science