Photo: Yoshikazu Tsuno/AFP/Getty Images
This item falls under the heading “Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.” The figurine is actually a cellphone designed by engineers at Japan’s Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International, whose intention was to make the user feel closer to the person on the other end. But do you really want to feel an intimate connection to the tow truck driver you call when your car is disabled on the side of the road?











If you are viewing this page with an iPad or iPhone, click here to launch the slideshow:
Willie Jones
Willie Jones is an associate editor at IEEE Spectrum. In addition to editing and planning daily coverage, he manages several of Spectrum's newsletters and contributes regularly to the monthly Big Picture section that appears in the print edition.
The Conversation (0)