Kirobo is Japan's first robot astronaut, developed by University of Tokyo and Tomotaka Takahashi, to accompany Koichi Wakata, the first Japanese commander of the International Space Station.

A twin to Kirobo, named Mirata, was created with the same characteristics, and stayed on Earth as a backup crew member.

[1] Kirobo was developed by a collaborative effort between Dentsu, the University of Tokyo's Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, Robo Garage, Toyota, and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency).

Kirobo is specially designed to navigate zero-gravity environments and will assist Commander Wakata in various experiments.

[1] Kirobo set two Guinness World Records after it returned to Japan, following an 18-month stay on board the International Space Station:[6]