Yukai Engineering, the Japanese company behind the infamous Qooba cat pillow and Amagami Ham Ham finger-gnawing robot, has once again pushed the boundaries of robotics with its latest creation, Mirumi. Unveiled at CES 2025, Mirumi is a small, furry robot that attaches to a purse and exhibits behaviors reminiscent of human infants.

Designed to recreate the joyful experiences of interacting with a human baby, Mirumi moves its head in various ways to express curiosity, bashfulness, and other baby-like emotions. The robot's inspiration stems from the company's in-house "Make-a-Thon" event, where the concept was born from the Yokai, mischievous supernatural spirits found in Japanese folklore.

Mirumi's functionality is based on a combination of motion and proximity sensing, as well as taps and movement of the bag it's mounted on. The robot has five distinct modes: Curiosity, where it looks around when the bag begins to move; Inquisitiveness, where it turns its head to look at a detected person or object; Bashfulness & Cautiousness, where it turns back its head to hide its face when a person or object suddenly appears or when being tapped on the body; Rejection, where it shakes its head to say "no" when jiggled; and Comfort, where it turns its head to look around again when remaining uninterrupted for a while.

According to Yukai Engineering, Mirumi is designed to "delight bystanders" as it "spontaneously turns its head to steal a glance at a nearby person." The company's goal is to create a sense of interaction and connection between the robot and those around it, much like the experience of engaging with a human infant.

The unveiling of Mirumi at CES 2025 marks another milestone in Yukai Engineering's quest to create innovative, sometimes unconventional, robots that blur the lines between technology and human interaction. While the practical applications of Mirumi may be limited, the robot's unique design and behavior are sure to spark conversations about the future of robotics and human-robot interaction.

As the robotics industry continues to evolve, companies like Yukai Engineering are pushing the boundaries of what is possible with robotics and artificial intelligence. While Mirumi may not be a game-changer in terms of functionality, it serves as a reminder of the importance of innovation and creativity in the field of robotics.