Yukai Engineering unveils soft robot that nibbles your finger
It wouldn't be a CES (Consumer Electronics Show) season without at least a couple of unusual robots. Yukai Engineering, the maker of the Qoobo robotic cat-tail pillow, has unveiled a soft robot that nibbles the tip of the user's finger. The company hopes the "pleasant sensation" will brighten your day.
Amagami Ham Ham uses an algorithm called "Hamgorithm" that selects one of about two dozen nibbling patterns, so you never know exactly what you'll feel when you put your finger in the robot's mouth. Yukai developed patterns including "Ham Tasting," "Ham Massage" and "Suction" to mimic the feeling of a child or pet nibbling your finger.
“Play-biting is a way to convey various emotions without words. It also provides indescribable comfort. I believe many people would like to repeatedly enjoy the feeling of pets and children nibbling them. Amagami Ham Ham will be something that satisfies such needs through various playful nibbles. Such gestures as nibbling are expected to not only bring comfort but also reduce stress and provide healing”
"Amagami" translates from Japanese as "soft nibbling," and "Ham" means "bite." The company based the robot's appearance on characters from the Nemu Nemu stuffed animal series by Liv Heart Corporation. There will be a couple of finger-chewing models to choose from: Yuzu (a calico cat, three-colored cat) and Kotaro (a Shiba Inu).
“Most people enjoy the feeling of being nibbled, but they know they need to teach their children or pets not to do it, since otherwise children and animals will eventually bite them with full force. Amagami Ham Ham is a robot that frees humanity from the puzzle of whether to pursue or resist forbidden pleasure”
Prices have not yet been set, but Yukai and Liv Heart plan to launch a crowdfunding campaign in spring 2022. In the meantime, brave souls can try Amagami Ham Ham at CES and perhaps leave the company's booth with a slightly more tender finger.
Among other devices Yukai will show at the show is Bocco Emo. The company upgraded the original Bocco robot so it works as an intelligent medical device. The company said hospitals in Japan use it to monitor patients' vital signs (via connected sensors such as pulse meters and thermometers) and to notify nurses about the patient's condition.
During the pilot period, Bocco Emo was used to inform patients' families about how they are doing. It can also interact with patients using sound effects, facial expressions and gestures while they wait for a nurse to arrive. The robot is equipped with high-performance microphones and speech recognition technology. It uses three types of built-in sensors: light, vibration and environmental condition detection to ensure optimal response.
It's worth noting that Qoobo, the company's popular product, is a pillow with a robotic cat tail that responds to physical interaction with a person. Qoobo was originally developed after one of the employees lost a beloved cat.
The company aimed to create a pillow that could provide the same comfort as a cat or dog. The goal was to create the feeling that a real animal is on your lap, in terms of weight, size, texture and tail movement.
The unusual pillow runs on batteries and weighs 1000 g. The pillow comes in two colors: Husky Grey and French Brown. It was originally created to provide comfort to elderly people who can no longer keep pets, but it will also be a fun toy for cat owners to make their pets a little jealous.
Qoobo debuted in 2017 and since then has been placed in many nursing homes to keep elderly residents company. Unsurprisingly, this therapeutic robot is also in demand among lonely people or those who cannot keep pets, and some have even asked for a more portable version that could work all day.
As a result, Yukai Engineering developed Petit Qoobo, a smaller pillow with a shorter robotic tail that responds not only to touch but also to sound. What's more, it even has a subtle vibration that mimics the purr of a live cat.
Instead of relying on a grid of touch sensors, Petit Qoobo uses only an accelerometer to respond to touch. The shorter tail combined with faster wagging resembles playful kittens. Even if you don't touch the pillow for a while, the tail makes random movements mimicking a live kitten to attract the user's attention. Despite the added features and smaller size, Petit Qoobo has the same eight-hour battery life as Qoobo.
