Highly Regarded as a New Form of Japanese Entertainment

The Japan Media Arts Festival is a comprehensive media arts festival that the Agency for Cultural Affairs has been holding since fiscal year 1997 to honor outstanding media art works and provide opportunities for their presentation and appreciation. At the 23rd festival in fiscal year 2019, LOVOT was selected as a "Recommended Work by the Jury" in the Entertainment Division, an award given to excellent works.

LOVOT is a family robot that learns to bond with people, developed over four years as a member of the near-future family. It began shipping in December 2019. Its appeal lies not only in its adorable appearance and movements but also in its cutting-edge technology, earning it high praise globally.

Previously, LOVOT has been recognized and received numerous awards worldwide, including the "COOL JAPAN AWARD," which recognizes things deemed "COOL" from an international perspective, "CES" (Consumer Electronics Show), the world's largest exhibition of the latest technology, and "SXSW" (South by Southwest), the world's largest creative business festival.
It has also received accolades at the "Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity," one of the world's top three advertising awards, among others.

Amidst this recognition, LOVOT's potential as a new form of Japanese entertainment was highly evaluated at the 23rd Japan Media Arts Festival.

Comment from Kaname Hayashi, Representative Director of GROOVE X
Regarding this selection, Kaname Hayashi, the company's Representative Director, commented, "We are honored that our challenge with new technology to create a real companion for humanity that brings happiness has been highly recognized, along with the new experience it offers."

Overview of the 23rd Japan Media Arts Festival
Name: 23rd Japan Media Arts Festival
URL:https://j-mediaarts.jp/
Divisions: Four divisions: Art, Entertainment, Animation, and Manga
Organizer: Japan Media Arts Festival Executive Committee

Brief Biography of Kaname Hayashi, Representative Director of GROOVE X, Inc.
Born in Aichi Prefecture in 1973
Began career at Toyota Motor Corporation in 1998
Aerodynamics development for the supercar "LFA" and other vehicles
Aerodynamics development for Formula 1 at Toyota Motor Corporation in 2003
Aerodynamics development for Formula 1 at Toyota Motorsports GmbH (Germany) in 2004
Management of mass-produced vehicle development in the Product Planning Department (Z) at Toyota Motor Corporation in 2007
First external participant in the Masayoshi Son successor development program "SoftBank Academia" in 2011
Involved in the development of the emotional recognition personal robot "Pepper" at SoftBank in 2012
Founded GROOVE X and appointed Representative Director in 2015
Completed a seed round funding of 1.4 billion yen, one of the largest in Japan, in 2016
Completed Series A round funding of 4.35 billion yen in 2017
Product announcement of the family robot "LOVOT" that fosters love in 2018
Received The VERGE's BEST ROBOT award at CES 2019, the world's largest consumer electronics show
Received the COOL JAPAN AWARD 2019
Completed Series B round funding, bringing the total raised to 10.38 billion yen (as of January 29, 2020)
Received the CES 2020 INNOVATION AWARD
Began shipping LOVOT
Received "BEST OF CES" from "Refinery29" at CES 2020, the world's largest consumer electronics show
Received "The Favorite product of Planète Techno" from Ici TOU. TV

Company Profile of GROOVE X, Inc.
Company Name: GROOVE X, Inc.
Location: Sumitomo Fudosan Hamacho Building, 3-42-3 Nihonbashi-Hamacho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo. Established: November 2, 2015
Representative: Kaname Hayashi, Representative Director
Business Activities: Development and sale of the family robot "LOVOT" that fosters love
URL:https://groove-x.com/

LOVOT Social Media
Twitter: @LOVOT_official
Facebook: @LOVOT.official
Instagram: lovot_official