First, this is not an April Fools joke post. Biggs does those, not me.

This is ApriPoco, a small helper robot created by Toshiba. It can learn how to accomplish any number of tasks using its built-in infrared sensor, like turning on the TV, useful for the elderly (or lazy).

There’s a reason why ApriPoco looks as childlike as it does. Its developers know how frustrated people can get when a machine doesn’t perform as expected, so what better way to prevent undue robot harm by making it look as innocent as possible?

This particular model is only meant for research purposes, but Toshiba is said to be mulling over creating a similar one for commercial release.

“Robot, do this week’s Endorsement for me. I’m busy trying to figure out how to move abroad.”