The Japanese firm Yukai Engineering has developed Qoobo, a robotic pillow that when touched wags its attached mechanical tail. It’s covered in a cat-like fur that invites its owners to stroke it.
Qoobo’s mission isn’t just to entertain, but also to be therapeutic. According to Yukai, psychological evaluations have shown that Qoobo can ease anxiety, depression, fatigue, tension and apathy.
Ask anyone with a real dog or cat and they’ll tell you how much better they feel after hugging their pet. Qoobo is also being marketed to people who would like to own a cat but can’t because of allergies or other restrictions.
Yukai Engineering is particularly proud of Qoobo’s tail, which begins to wag when a person holds and strokes it. The company says the tail « closely mimics the flexible and elegant movements of an animal. »
The tail moves differently depending on how Qoobo is stroked. There are even times when it just wags its tail for no reason at all except by saying hello.
Qoobo, which operates using a rechargeable battery, is the result of a Kickstarter campaign that raised $120,000. Since debuting at IFA 2019 in Berlin earlier this month, Yukai Engineering has sold more than 10,000 units in Japan and is just rolling the product out in the U.S.
The robot comes in two colors, « Husky Gray » and « French Brown. » You can order Qoobo from Amazon for around $150 but there is also a hefty shipping rate since it’s coming from Japan.
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