The Casio Moflin is, according to its marketing fluff, a "smart companion powered by AI, with emotions like a living creature."
You can't fool me, Casio. What you've made here is an AI-powered Tribble, and now those of us in the US and the UK can pick one up for $429/£369. The once-Japan-only device is said to be many things, including a calming presence, a quiet reassurance, and something that "responds, understands, and grows with you."
Essentially, it's an AI trapped inside a cuddly robotic fursuit, and one that Casio seems to think is perfect for stress relief (via Digital Trends). The Moflin is capable of moving and tilting its head, responding to light and touch, and listening to your darkest fantas... I mean, your vocalisations through a built-in microphone.
Not only that, but it'll adjust its behaviour based on an AI-powered emotional spectrum, which Casio says allows it to "express a diverse range of feelings." It can be grumpy, thrilled, joyful, anxious, lonely, calm, happy... in fact, it sounds like a right needy little git, and that's apparently part of the appeal.
Patting, hugging, or speaking to the furry little critter apparently sparks positive emotions in its AI brain, while neglecting or startling it will invoke a negative response. The Moflin is said to be able to grow attached to you over time, moderating its responses to your presence until the two of you become emotionally intertwined. Whether that sounds gloriously cute, or downright insidious, seems very much like a personal thing to me.
My favourite part, however, comes deeper in the specs sheet, listed under "operating temp". Moflins apparently need to be kept between 5 °C to 35 °C (41 °F to 95 °F), within an environment with a humidity of no more than 80%.
Wait a minute—so you can't get it wet? Turns out I was wrong, it's not a Tribble after all. It's a Mogwai, of Gremlins fame. Don't feed it after midnight, folks. I've seen those movies, and it usually doesn't end well.
All joking aside, I can see how a cuddly, emotionally-needy artificial pet might provide some genuine comfort to those who suffer from loneliness, or perhaps those who have experienced some sort of trauma. I'm not so cold-hearted as my colleague Jacob Fox, who wondered aloud what might happen to one if it was introduced to a fast-moving baseball bat. Yes Jacob, I've outed you to the world. For shame.
On the other hand, I can't help but feel that this sort of therapy-based AI implementation might have greater emotional pitfalls (along with some potential privacy concerns), but that's well outside of my area of expertise. It's cute, it's cuddly, it listens and responds to your every whim, and now you can buy one outside of Japan. Oh, and it comes with its own charging bed—which you'll need to use quite regularly, as it runs out of juice after five hours of operation.
Just don't put it in the bath, expose it to extreme temperatures, or attempt to feed it chicken drumsticks from the fridge, no matter how much it demands. You have been warned.
