These robot cats have glowing eyes and artificial heartbeats – and could help reduce stress in children

At Springwood library in the Blue Mountains, a librarian appears with a cat carrier in each hand. About 30 children gather around in a semicircle. Inside each carrier, a pair of beaming, sci-fi-like eyes peer out at the expectant crowd. "That is the funniest thing ever," one child says. The preschoolers have just finished reading The Truck Cat by Deborah Frenkel and Danny Snell for the annual National Simultaneous Storytime.