Toyota's Kirobo, your new digital copilot, makes us smile in Tokyo

Meet Kirobo Mini! He's here in Japan at the CEATEC show.

He's an adorable little guy that that can ride along in your car and interact with you.

And, he's small enough that, in his little chair, can fit right in your cupholder!

The idea is to give you a friend to talk to while you're driving, even if you're alone.

He connects to an app running on your phone and so can answer simple questions.

At least, he can if you know Japanese, as he doesn't speak English.

He can also move his eyes and look around, supposedly recognizing people and reacting appropriately.

He'll even wave his little arms and try to cheer you up if you're feeling down.

Which shouldn't be hard given how cute he is.

Despite his limited usefulness, he won't be cheap. He'll cost 39,800 yen (around $390, £300 or AU$500), and that doesn't include a $3 monthly service charge.

Small price to have this guy as your copilot.