IT MAY look frightening, but this headless, cat-like robot is designed to calm its owner.
Called Qoobo, the Japanese robot pillow reacts to touch by wagging its mechanical tail that “closely mimics the flexible and elegant movements of an animal”.
The purpose of this robotic creature is to soothe owners, as it has been confirmed in three psychological evaluations to ease anxiety, depression and feelings of fatigue.
Qoobo was designed by Yukai Engineering in Japan, which makes a range of “communication robots” – all of which are designed to connect people with others and their own emotions.
“When rubbed, it swings playfully. And, it occasionally wags just to say hello. It's a comforting communication that warms your heart the way animals do,” explained Yukai Engineering.
“Begin your 'tail therapy' today and wrap yourself with fuzzy love.”
The device first came to life in a Kickstarter campaign where it raised roughly US$120,000.
The firm shipped out more than 900 devices to backers of the campaign.
It was first revealed to the world at this year's Berlin-based trade show IFA 2019 and has since sold over 10,000 units, reports AV Club.
The Japanese firm put great effort into designing a life-like tail that moves and acts like that of a real animal.
“Through trial and error, we developed a mechanism that closely mimics the flexible and elegant movements of an animal,” reads the Kickstarter page.
“We selected different materials for various parts of the robot to enhance the movements and the tail's appearance. We also made it durable to allow for use in various environments.”
A Qoobo costs about US$120 and comes in two colours, husky grey and French brown – and can be found on Amazon.
The creators conducted a study with 38 participants to see if the robot can do more than just entertain its users.
Each subject went through a psychological evaluation before and after using a Qoobo.
During the experiment, Yukai Engineering measured the normal state and the state after psychological stress on the three evaluation scales of the subject: psychological state, pulsation, and salivary amylase activity.
They looked at these factors before and after a subject used a Qoobo.
After analysing the 35 questions given to each subject, the team found the robot reduced “Tension / Anxiety', 'Depression / Depression', 'Fatigue / Apathy”. – Daily Mail