Japanese Researchers Develop Floating Companion Robot Inspired by Fictional Characters
- Published
- Source
- InterestingEngineering.com
Researchers at Keio University in Tokyo have created a silent, floating companion robot that mimics the movement of animated creatures. This innovative prototype, inspired by characters like Tinker Bell and Pokémon’s Mew, is designed to be approachable and safe for indoor environments.
The significance of this development lies in its potential to enhance human-robot interaction at home. Unlike traditional drones, this soft floating robot utilizes helium for buoyancy, resulting in quieter operation and lower energy consumption, making it a more natural companion for users.
Looking ahead, the researchers have established a systematic interaction design framework for soft floating robots, which could lead to advancements in mobility and human interaction. No further timeline was disclosed at the time of publication.
Original report
Video: Floating robot inspired by Tinker Bell and Mew reimagines home companionship
InterestingEngineering.com · Jijo MalayilThis briefing is an independently written summary based on publicly available reporting and is provided for industry information and news discovery. The original report and source publication are credited and linked where applicable. RobotToday does not claim ownership of third-party source material.
Rights concerns? Contact [email protected] with the relevant URL and details. We will review the matter and take appropriate action where warranted.
More related news
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
-
9
IEEE RoboSoft 2027 – Brisbane, Apr 5–9, 2027 RobotToday · 2 days ago
- 10
- 11
- 12
Related Suppliers
Soft Servo Systems
US maker of open-architecture PC-based CNC and motion control software; founded 1998 by MIT engineers in Waltham, MA.
SimLab Soft
Amman-based VR/3D visualization software; SimLab Composer enables no-code CAD-to-VR training simulation for manufacturing and AEC.
Interlune Corporation
Seattle space-resources firm founded 2020 building a lunar helium-3 harvesting system; unveiled a 100 t/h regolith excavator prototype with Vermeer in 2025.
Upton Automation Systems 广州友顿自动化系统有限公司
China-based automation integrator (est. 2005); assembly automation, leak testing, and traceability systems; ISO 9001 certified.
Chongqing Huashu Robot Co., Ltd. 重庆华数机器人有限公司
Huazhong CNC robot subsidiary making JR/JH/BR/SR/MD industrial arms, CR cobots and the 23-axis HSR-ER-HR705 embodied-AI humanoid, with 20,000 units/yr capacity.
COVE (Centre for Ocean Ventures & Entrepreneurship)
Halifax Harbour non-profit ocean-tech hub with a marine terminal, the Stella Maris subsea test bed and DRDC trials for USVs, UUVs and sensors.
Probot Oy
Oulu, Finland robotics integrator founded 2006; KUKA System Partner and OMRON Certified Partner; makes Dolly AMR; Finnish distributor of Unitree robot dogs.
Tactile Robots
Italian robotics startup founded in 2016 in Lecce, building GUIDO, a pressure-sensitive autonomous indoor delivery robot for commercial spaces.
ATR Intelligent Robotics and Communication Laboratories
Kyoto research laboratory within ATR (est. 1986) studying human-robot interaction, cybernetic avatars and social robots such as Robovie and Geminoid.
Center for Intelligent Robotics (CIR) at KIST
South Korean government research center at KIST focused on intelligent robotics and human-robot interaction since 1966.
Vsim
Cambridge, UK firm incorporated 2022 by ex-Nvidia engineers; builds the Vlab GPU robot simulator and Vlearn framework, backed by a $21.5M seed.
Blue Danube Robotics GmbH
Vienna-based maker of AIRSKIN — a modular pressure-sensitive robot safety skin enabling fenceless human-robot collaboration; ISO 13849 PLe certified.
Robotics needs a service framework.
RSF defines a common language for robot service capability, lifecycle operations, certification pathways, and service-provider networks.
Join the RobotToday community on LinkedIn
Daily robotics news, in-depth analysis, conference highlights, and discussions with professionals worldwide.