Newscasts - Meet Moflin: the furry AI companion with 4 million personalities
01/10/2025 14:31
Click the following link to watch video: https://share.newscasts.refinitiv.com/link?entryId=1_lh4xruli&referenceId=tag:reuters.com,2025:newsml_RW953901102025RP1_991&pageId=Newscasts Source: 'Reuters - General news videos' Description: A fluffy, palm‑sized companion robot powered by “emotional AI” that can evolve into more than 4 million unique personalities is a positive new innovation for settings such as care homes, schools and therapeutic settings, according to its maker, Casio. Diane To reports. Short Link: https://lseg.group/3ISENHL Video Transcript: >> This isn't a toy. This is a smart companion. >> Meet Moflin, a palm sized companion robot powered by what's called Emotional AI that can evolve into more than four million unique personalities, according to its makers Casio. This is Jennifer Kelly, Head of Marketing at Casio, UK. >> The Moflin is all about non verbal communication. It has an in built emotional map. And it responds to light, to sound, and touch. Over time, it can grow a bond with its owner, based on the way that you interact with it. >> Moflin is designed to behave less like a toy and more like a small pet responding to everyday handling with coos, head movements, and posture changes. Under the fur, there are sensors, a microphone, and an accelerometer to interpret handling. By reading touch, movement, light, and ambient sound, it adjusts its internal state over time. >> It will elicit unique responses, so that after 50 days of maturation, it becomes unique to its owner. And the idea is to, again, form an emotional bond and connection. It mimics life like animal expression. >> Instead of relying on Cloud processing, Casio says Moflin is a self contained system that processes censor data locally to generate behaviors. The company says Moflin has more than four million potential personality variants. A smartphone app allows users to view mood readouts and name their robot. Casio stresses that Moflin is not designed as a pet replacement or a toy, but a new innovation in therapeutic and social robotics. It recently unveiled a robot in London after its debut in Japan. >> People were in late to this little AI companion, and it's fascinating to me. So how are we using AI in new ways? >> Tech commentator Philippa Forrester is an early Moflin adopter. >> Moflin can't replace a pet, but it's designed to fulfill some of those things that a pet can do. So ease some of our anxiety, offer a little bit of entertainment, have a little bit of connection. It's not a replacement at all, and the best tech isn't an enhancement of our human experience.