This Little AI-Powered Robot Pet Is So Cute It Hurts

I'm not sure if Moflin is supposed to be a robotic hamster, guinea pig, baby bunny, or some alternate take on a Tribble, but goddamn this robo-pet is cute. Launched as part of a Kickstarter campaign from Vanguard Industries that went live earlier this week, Moflin looks to follow in the steps of Sony's Aibo or other robo-pets like Qoobo. However, instead of simply a disembodied tail attached to a fluffy base like Qoobo, Moflin apparently uses AI to have "emotional capabilities" meant to more accurately mimic real pets, so that it can express feelings and potentially even serve as a therapeutic aid. In order to make that happen, Vanguard Industries said it created its own Emotion AI tech that allows Moflin's feelings to react and evolve over time based on contact with humans. Individual Moflins can even have unique personalities based on their experiences, and learn to react differently depending on the actions of their owners.