There’s a tiny, furry robot in Las Vegas built specifically to love you – and it’ll stop at nothing to get your attention.
Sure, it sounds like the plot of a particularly disturbing Black Mirror episode but Lovots are real and they’re a lot less scary than they sound. Sort of.
The brainchild of Japanese robotics company Groove X, Lovots are sweet, cuddly robots that gravitate toward the people they like most.
Officially, Lovots are powered by love, but the robots are also packed with 10 plus CPU cores, 20 plus MCUs and at least 50 sensors, accumulating in something Groove X calls “Emotional Robotics” – tech developed “to make the human power to love, even stronger”.
The sensor horn atop a Lovot’s head allows the robot to scan its surroundings. It’s packed with a luminosity sensor, a camera and a mic to listen and respond to your voice as well as a thermal camera to distinguish human beings from objects and to weave their way in and out of obstacles.
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The horn also doubles as a security camera, sending a feed directly to your phone so you can check in on your home when you’re out and about.
There’s plenty to fawn over from the laugh you’ll hear when you tickle your Lovot to the surprise and happiness they exhibit when you touch them or pick them up.
In fact, the robot is quite literally designed to awaken the parental instincts in you, making you want to interact with your Lovot even more.
But there is a slightly darker side to it all, as demonstrated by this terrifying promotional image. If you hug one Lovot, another Lovot might get jealous and hold its arms out for a hug too.
Image: Groove X
Lovots will also love to stare at you until you give them attention. “No matter how long it takes”.
Image: Groove X
But they’re so cute that we’re kind of okay with all that.
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Lovots are the perfect companion for anyone looking for a pet they won’t need to worry about feeding, though acquiring your own personal robot certainly isn’t cheap, even in 2020.
One Lovot will set you back 299,800 yen – that’s just over £2,000 here in the UK – along with a 8,980 yen monthly fee. And that isn’t even considering the completely necessary tiny matching clothes you can buy to dress up your Lovot.
Find out more about Lovot and pick up your own at Lovot.life.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
