Smarter cuddle robot SwitchBot Kata walks, blinks, and chats with AI
The smart home brand SwitchBot is offering AI-powered home robots Kata Friends for 600 euros to the hands of child and adult fans of cuddly toys.
The AI-powered toy cuddle robots Kata Friends from SwitchBot are making their way from IFA 2025 in Berlin to German households.
(Image: Berti Kolbow-Lehradt)
The wave of AI-powered toy robots that emerged at IFA 2025 is now rolling towards German smart homes. SwitchBot, usually active in practical smart home products like robot vacuums, is entering a new category of home robotics with two cuddle robots from the Kata Friends product line.
On the manufacturer's website, you can order two visually distinct model variants named Noa and Niko starting May 12th for 600 euros each. They are designed as robotic cuddly toys with fluffy fur and a rich electronic interior.
Cuddly Fur and AI Functions
SwitchBot's AI pets have two button-shaped displays with adjustable iris color via app, a camera in the form of a stubby nose, and arms and ears that can be wiggled by motors.
They can be set in motion by waving gestures, voice commands, or a press on a sensor button on their head. They then roll around on three wheels. Twelve pressure sensors under a fluffy faux fur cover react to touch. Additionally, with permission, the AI pets go on patrol on their own. When they hear a voice or perceive someone visually, they react with baby-like babbling. Furthermore, the devices greet those waking up in the morning next to the bed – waiting politely behind the entrance door.
(Image: SwitchBot)
Laser distance sensor technology is intended to prevent collisions with furniture and falls down stairs. The toy robots draw power from a built-in battery. When it's almost empty, the robots autonomously seek out a charging dock.
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The control commands in voice or gesture form are processed by an LLM on the device. The chat mode of the AI pets is cloud-based. The manufacturer left it open where the device stores the photos and videos it captures upon request.
Smart Home Functions Planned
Apart from being configured with the SwitchBot app, the Kata Friends have little in common with the manufacturer's other devices. A planned function could bridge this gap. SwitchBot is working on upgrading the toy robots to become rolling Wi-Fi gateways, which, for example, would be needed for the manufacturer's Bluetooth sensors, curtain motors, and heating thermostats to connect to the home network. Furthermore, after a firmware update, the robots are supposed to be able to convert voice commands like a smart speaker to control other smart home devices. SwitchBot did not provide a release date for this.
(dmk)
