Japanese gadget has plants talking back

Japanese romantics will have the chance to hear some truly flowery language with the help of a playful gadget purported to express the feelings of plants.

Through the voice of a small doll, the device will share what the plant is supposedly 'thinking' when a person strokes it.



The "Hanakotoba", or "Communication Flower"", consists of a small rod topped with a fairy figurine that can be put inside a potted plant or vase of water.

When the owner touches the stem or leaves, a small electric current passes from the rod through a wire to a small doll.

"What a beautiful day!" the doll, wearing a green vest and cone hat, will say once the flower is touched, or "Let's stay friends forever!"

Hanakotoba has up to 200 different phrases, some as potentially uncomfortable as "Do you have a boyfriend?"

But the plant can still become angry. If the device senses there is insufficient water, the doll says in a shrill voice: "Come on, what are you looking at? Give me more water!"