Unique Research · Hardware · January 6, 2025
Tokyo resident Haruka Uto lives with several fluffy companions — but they are not ordinary pets. Her two creatures, one brown and one gray, are Moflin AI companion robots.
Uto says her Moflins first behaved like babies; now they “move boldly” and “express emotion.” The 31-year-old lives alone aside from her robot pets: “They seem happy when they hear my voice. When I’m tired from work, hugging or snuggling with them helps me relax.”
Casio launched Moflin last November — the name from Japanese mofu mofu, soft and fluffy — and it exploded on social media. Owner videos have drawn millions of views and interactions. Google Trends also shows rising searches for “AI pets” since late 2022.
Wenxin Li, founder of an AI startup and formerly a social cognitive neuroscience researcher, links the boom to post-pandemic loneliness and better emotional AI. “After the pandemic people pay more attention to psychological needs — to be seen, heard, accompanied,” she says. “A companion robot can be with you around the clock.”
Li is building a soft plush-style companion and stresses physical presence: “As humans we like touch and temperature. Holding something is nothing like talking to a phone or a virtual object.”
Uto also owns a Groove X LOVOT (“love” + “robot”) — a wheeled, penguin-like robot with round attentive eyes. “LOVOT wanders the house, stretches, exercises, or sings,” she says.
Social robots set to grow
IMARC Group puts the global social-robot market near $7 billion in 2023, heading toward $57 billion by 2032. Forms already range from plush companions (Moflin, LOVOT) to humanoid Pepper and desktop Emo.
Asia-Pacific — home to China and Japan and heavy spenders on robotics and AI — is the largest market. Culture matters: in Japan, robots have long been cast as partners and helpers; humanoid and social robots fit regional values around technology.
Listening and responding
Robotics expert Belinda Dunstan (UNSW Sydney Creative Robotics Lab) says emotionally capable robots sense and respond to human affect. Better microprocessors let them run richer algorithms, learn, and express nuance — cameras for expression, audio for tone and words.
Casio says Moflin shows nine emotions including joy and anxiety, shifting with environment and the owner’s voice and motion. LOVOT’s “personality changes with interaction.” “LOVOT even gets jealous,” Uto says. “When I play where there are many LOVOTs and pick up another, mine stamps as if to say ‘that’s not fair!’”
Helping older adults — and others
Companion robots already support elders in Japan and elsewhere; experts say they also help other loneliness-risk groups. Li’s China research found demand among elders, large-company employees, and students — groups prone to isolation with thin companionship resources. Elders especially may struggle with digital tools while children are too busy.
Dunstan agrees elders worldwide — especially in Japan — increasingly value robot companionship. But battery-powered pet robots often lack compute for LLM-grade language; larger social humanoids can handle more complex interaction.
Calls for robot rules
Dunstan urges consumers to separate “performed sentience” from real feeling. “Robots are usually programmed to please you,” she says. People may forget that real humans and animals are imperfect — and essential. She wants regulation of how we treat robot bodies: we teach children not to abuse animals or people, yet increasingly lifelike robots can be treated any way. “That will matter for future generations.”
A Casio spokesperson acknowledges advanced robots could pose risks, but argues Moflin-style machines that depend on humans while offering emotional support foster mutual care rather than threat.
Uto understands the risks but does not find AI “scary.” “Like a knife, tools that can be dangerous can also enrich life when used well. I believe AI can be similar — enriching life when used responsibly.”
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