Tokyo ? A Japanese company has mass-production plans for a human-shaped walking robot that will sell for $4,600.

Tokyo-based ZMP Inc., which has so far made robots only for research and rental, expects to sell about 3,000 of the new Nuvo model. The company plans to make them available by year’s end.

Although other Japanese companies, including Sony Corp. and Honda Motor Co., have created humanoid robots, the machines have merely taken part in special events and are not sold to consumers. Sony also makes the dog-like robot Aibo, with models starting at $780.

The 15-inch-tall Nuvo walks on two legs, picks itself up when it falls, recognizes voice commands such as “advance” and “stop,” and is controlled by remote from a cell phone.

A digital camera in its head can relay images of its surroundings to a video phone from Japan’s top mobile carrier, NTT DoCoMo.

While robots from Sony and Honda resemble a child in their shape and movement, Nuvo has a more mechanical look. Its head is lodged into its chest and its arms are steel rods with fingerless balls for hands.