Japanese romantics will have the chance to hear some truly flowery language with the help of a playful gadget purported to express the feelings of plants.
Through the voice of a small doll, the device will share what the plant is supposedly 'thinking' when a person strokes it.
The "Hanakotoba", or "Communication Flower", consists of a small rod topped with a fairy figurine that can be put inside a potted plant or vase of water.
PHOTO: AFP
When the owner touches the stem or leaves, a small electric current passes from the rod through a wire to a small doll.
"What a beautiful day!" the doll, wearing a green vest and cone hat, will say once the flower is touched, or "Let's stay friends forever!"
Hanakotoba has up to 200 different phrases, some as potentially uncomfortable as "Do you have a boyfriend?"
The gadget, made by Japanese toy maker E-revolution, is the latest creation of Masahiko Kajita, who scored a smash hit in 2002 with "Bowlingual" — a dog collar said to interpret canine barking.
Kahjita said the Hanakotoba was meant to tap a female market. "I created translators for cats and dogs, which were a big success among men, so I was searching for a similar success among females, and since women love flowers, I decided to work on them," he said. "This toy doesn't use a single dirty or aggressive word, unlike Bowlingual," he said.
But the plant can still become angry. If the device senses there is insufficient water, the doll says in a shrill voice: "Come on, what are you looking at? Give me more water!"
The toy was released in Dec. priced at 4,179 yen (NT$1,150) each and, if successful in Japan, will make its way abroad, the company said. (AFP)
日本的浪漫派將有機會藉助替植物訴衷心曲的有趣裝置,聽見真實的花語。
每當有人碰觸這個裝置時,它就會透過小娃娃的聲音,傳達植物大概在「想什麼」。
會說話的花「Hanakotoba」包含一條小竿子,上頭有一個仙女塑像,可以放入盆栽植物或花瓶。
主人碰觸花梗或樹葉時,一道小電流就會從這個竿子經過,通過一條金屬線,抵達小娃娃身上。
花朵一旦被碰觸,穿著綠背心、戴圓錐帽的小娃娃就會說︰「多麼美好的一天!」或是「讓我們友誼長存!」
Hanakotoba內建兩百多種語言,有些話還稍微讓人不舒服,如「你有男朋友嗎?」
這是日本玩具商E-revolution推出的商品,是二○○二年造成轟動的「犬語翻譯機」設計者木尾田正彥的最新作品。犬語翻譯機據說是可以解讀狗叫聲的狗頸圈。
木尾田認為Hanakotoba是針對女性市場的設計。「我設計了貓犬翻譯機,廣受男性歡迎,所以我希望女性市場也能同樣成功,由於女性喜愛花卉,我決定配合開發,」他說︰「這個玩具不會如犬語翻譯機,使用髒話或攻擊性的語言。」
不過植物還是會生氣。假如這個裝置偵查到水分不足,洋娃娃就會尖聲說︰「拜託,你看什麼?快幫我澆水!」
廠商表示,這個玩具已於十二月開始發售,每個售價為四千一百七十九日圓(新台幣一千一百五十元),假如在日本銷售成功,將會向國際市場叩關。
(法新社/翻譯:賴美君)
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