A Japanese robot orbiting 370 kilometers above the Earth at 27,600 kilometers per hour called home for the first time.

In a video released today but filmed two weeks ago, Kiboro, Japan's first robot astronaut, spoke from the International Space Station.

"On August 21, 2013, robots take their first step towards a shining future," the one kilogram, 34-centimetre-high automaton said as it floated around the ISS.

The researchers behind Kirobo - a compounded word made from the words Kibo, or "hope" in Japanese, and Robot - said this is the first time a robot has spoken from space.

Kirobo was deployed to the ISS aboard Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's (JAXA) Kounotori 4 cargo transfer vehicle atop H-IIB rocket on August 4.

The robot is set to conduct experiments in space by taking verbal orders from JAXA's astronaut commander Koichi Wakata and by remote-control from earth.

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