This cute AI pet will fill the deep, dark void in your life


If lockdown life has left you craving the companionship of a cuddly pet, but you’re wary of dirty doggies and conniving kittens, a Japanese tech firm has created a more amenable alternative.

Meet Moflin, an AI pet with “emotional capabilities that evolve like living animals.”

The creature, which looks like a cross between a hamster and a slipper, won the Best of Innovation Award in Robotics at CES 2021 this week.

[Read: How Netflix shapes mainstream culture, explained by data]

Moflin uses a nature-inspired algorithm to learn and grow from patterns it detects through its sensors, according to its creators at Vanguard Industries:

Moflin will choose from an infinite number of mobile and sound pattern combinations to respond and express its feelings. To put it in simple terms, it’s like you’re interacting with a living pet.

Credit: Vanguard Industries