Japanese grandparents who live great distances from their grandchildren are
consoling themselves with a curious techno doll. Send a photo of your baby to
Another One Co. of Meguro, Tokyo, and in six weeks they’ll make you a lookalike
doll. Only it doesn’t end there: a digital microchip recorder inside the doll
records the baby’s early gurgles, so it even sounds like your baby. Simply hold
the doll’s hand and it will play back the baby’s voice—or whatever else
you record. According to The Nikkei Weekly, the $400 doll is
mostly ordered by grandparents who rarely see their offspring’s offspring.
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