Crowdfunding for ‘Petit Qoobo’ to Kick Off on Campfire!

2020/3/27 News

Crowdfunding for ‘Petit Qoobo’ to Kick Off on Campfire!  
The new little cute robot reacts to sounds. You can hear its heartbeat, too!  

March 27, 2020

At 11 a.m. on March 27, 2020, Yukai Engineering will kick off its crowdfunding campaign for Petit Qoobo, the new companion of Qoobo, the tail-wagging robotic therapy cushion, on the Japanese crowdfunding platform, Campfire. The prototype of Petit Qoobo will be on display at BOOSTER STUDIO BY CAMPFIRE on the first floor of Shibuya PARCO during the campaign. 

▼Petit Qoobo Crowdfunding Campaign:
https://camp-fire.jp/projects/view/228513

The campaign will last through May 10!

There are seven different types of “returns” (rewards) available, including: 

About Petit Qoobo
Petit Qoobo is a new family member of Qoobo, a tailed robotic pillow. Petit Qoobo is one size smaller than Qoobo. It wags its tail in reaction to the user’s rubbing and stroking, just as Qoobo does, but also to the surrounding natural soundscape – be it the sound of clapping, or one’s breathing. When cuddling Petit Qoobo, you can also hear its “heartbeats” (or, its vibration).  We hope that this little cute one, reminiscent of skittish, sweet animals will provide you with comfort and enrich your life. 

Features of Petit Qoobo 

 


It wags in response to your stroking. 


It’s so small that you can take it anywhere with you. 


It wags in response to sounds and voices. 


You can hear its heartbeat. 

Petit Qoobo Video

Story behind Petit Qoobo


We began developing Petit Qoobo after hearing from our fans that they wished to be able to take Qoobo with them wherever they go. In order to make it possible, we decided to create a mini-size Qoobo with brand new features that resemble the characteristics of small animals. Petit Qoobo is available in four different soft colors: Gris (gray), Marron (brown), Noir (black) and Blanc (white). 

The idea for the original Qoobo came from a Yukai staff designer who wished to have something waiting for her to comfort her at the end of a long workday while living in a pet-free apartment. Drawing inspiration from an animal’s tail, Yukai created a robot that communicates solely through tail movements – without relying on sounds or facial expressions – to comfort humans in just the way cats and dogs would. The company’s engineers studied the animal tail and created a mechanism that closely mimics its movements. The development team also paid extra attention to Qoobo’s weight and texture to recreate the feeling of cuddling a real pet. Qoobo is designed for people who cannot own pets, including pet allergy sufferers, apartment dwellers and seniors. Within a year and a half since its market release in November 2018, a combined total of more than 15,000 units of Qoobo have sold in Japan, the U.S., Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan. 

For additional information about Qoobo, visit http://qoobo.info 


Qoobo in four different colors (from left): Marron (brown), Blanc (white), Gris (grey) and Noir (black) 


Prototype mechanisms of Petit Qoobo. We diligently programmed and designed the tail mechanism through trial and error in order to achieve lifelike tail movements. 


At one point, we considered installing an actuator to create breathing-like vibrations. 

* For additional information about Qoobo, visit http://qoobo.info

* We are targeting November for the market release of Petit Qoobo. (As the product remains under development, its specifications, including its functionality, may change without notice.)

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