Robots are almost always designed to complete practical tasks for their owners–like a robot vacuum. Not everything needs to be utilitarian, though. Sometimes, a robot can exist for the sole purpose of being adorable.
At CES 2025, there’s tons of important tech being announced. TVs, laptops, routers, gaming handhelds, and so much more. Robots are, of course, a big part of the show as well, but only one of them has a furry face and googly eyes. Say hello to Mirumi from Yukai Engineering.
Mirumi doesn’t clean your floors or mow your lawn. Instead, it detects people nearby and curiously turns its head toward them. Approach Mirumi too quickly, and it will shyly turn away. That’s it–you have now read the extensive list of features.
Yukai designed Mirumi with long arms that can wrap around the handles and loops on bags and backpacks. So, you can bring Mirumi along with you while you’re going about your day, and it will inquisitively look around for people. Occasionally, it will appear to lock eyes with someone, but if they approach or touch Mirumi, it may duck away or even shake its head “no.”
You’re probably asking, “Why does this exist?” That is a fair question to which I have no answer. Why were robot dogs so popular in the 90s, and why are they making a comeback? Not everything needs to have a practical purpose. Mirumi is a cute little robot that will bring joy wherever it goes. People will see Mirumi on your back and smile or give a wave, and that might be enough of a reason to exist.
The last cool thing about Mirumi is it’s not crazy expensive. Yukai is planning to offer Mirumi through a crowdfunding campaign later this year for only around $70. It’ll be available in pink and gray fur.
Look, now more than ever, it can be hard to justify a product that doesn’t really have much of a purpose–even for $70. But there’s still something incredibly charming about a robot that is essentially designed purely to be cute and to bring some happiness into the world around it. We need more of that.