Cute animals for not-so-cute applications
What are stuffed animals doing at a tech fair? They are full of technology and are patient companions for impatient or mentally impaired owners.
(Image: heise online)
When stuffed animals react to being stroked, the person stroking them is happy and builds up an emotional relationship with the stuffed animal, at least for a short time. The Tobot company wants to use this effect to provide dementia patients and depressed or overly anxious people with an animal-like companion who will not suffer from a lack of care.
Emotional robot
The fact that Jennie, the interactive plush dog, can actually arouse emotions was demonstrated at CES: The Labrador puppy-like plastic dog brought a smile to the faces of almost all visitors who stroked the cuddly toy when it responded to their caresses.
Jennie has a number of touch-sensitive sensors, for example at the tips of her ears and on her neck. The plush dog responds to voice commands and can bark and make other dog-like sounds. The functions can be customized using a smartphone app.
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Jennie is stable on the table, which is important to prevent it from falling down too often and becoming a tripping hazard for owners with dementia. Tombot, a company based in Santa Clara, California, not only wants to sell the interactive plush dog, but also rent it out. The fur-like surface is easy to clean, although Jennie must not be completely submerged – The USB-C charging port is not waterproof.
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Learning rodent
The guinea pig-like companion Noono from Metapet is supposed to be able to adapt its behavior to its owner and record its activities at the same time. Here, too, the focus is on its role as an animal-like companion. Noono is supposed to get tired with its owner, wake up when spoken to and make various sounds.
(Image:Â Ulrike Kuhlmann, heise online)
Noono sleeps in a small bowl, which is also a charging tray. Unlike Jennie, it cannot react physically, but this should make it more robust and, above all, significantly cheaper.
Heise Medien is the official media partner of CES 2025. (uk)
