If you’ve been holding off on adopting a pet because you don’t want to clean up after them or concern yourself with pricey vet visits, the world of AI robot pots is expanding to cater to you and others with similar hesitancies. The latest example: SwitchBot, an AI-enabled home robotics systems provider, on Tuesday announced the launch of Kata Friends: two AI pets, Noa and Niko, with distinct personalities that will evolve over time.
“Kata Friends is ‘pet first’, meaning it gradually learns and grows with you. It is not a cold machine; it’s a presence that feels alive,” says the company’s “parenting guide.” It describes Kata Friends as the world’s first on-device AI pet robot that grows with you and changes based on how it’s “raised.”
The hardware: Cameras, sensors and AI
Underneath their plush coats, the gentle, shy gray-furred Niko and the energetic, white-furred Noa have some serious hardware. Most notably, they were built with an on-device LLM — an AI large language model — allowing them to interact with you and respond anywhere, even without Wi-Fi.
Noa and Niko’s LCD eyes have multiple colors and five expressions and can look in different directions, while their feet have wheels and a laser distance sensor radar that lets them navigate your home independently. In their bellies, you’ll find obstacle-avoidance sensors, and their noses have cameras to recognize people and capture your special moments together.
With 12 touch-sensitive zones across their bodies, Kata Friends are designed to respond to every pat and cuddle with waving arms, swiveling ears and a microphone on top of their heads. When you’re near them, they happily chirp; when alone, they murmur to themselves.
What they respond to and how
Niko and Noa can respond to simple commands, such as “come here,” and will pick up on how you’re feeling with voice emotion recognition. If you have a cheerful tone, they will mirror your joy.
Kata Friends also react to gestures, especially since their eyes follow you around the room. If you wave, they will come to you, and if you give them a thumbs-up, they will have a happy reaction.
Their eyes aren’t the only things that follow you. Noa and Niko will accompany you if you get up to leave, come over to you if you’re sitting alone, wait by the door when you’re set to come home and will even wake you up in the morning with a song.
Live with others? Kata Friends will recognize and remember each of you, tailoring their responses to each person.
In the center of the microphone, on top of their heads, is a button that lets you switch between three modes: normal, standby (they will stand in place and wait for your call) and sleep (they will relax their bodies). There’s also an included eye mask; once you place it over Noa or Niko’s eyes, they will enter privacy mode, meaning they won’t see anything or take photos.
Once it’s time for Noa or Niko to sleep (aka charge) in their nests, there’s a docking sensor above their tails, which also helps them balance and move around with an extra rear wheel. Kata Friends require 8 hours of sleep, and you can customize their schedule to match your own.
Privacy considerations
Along with remembering different people in your household, Kata Friends uses its LLM to keep a diary of its memories with you, such as when it was cuddled, wandered around the house or slept.
If you’d like Noa or Niko to take a photo, all you have to do is make a peace sign gesture or say “cheese.” These pictures will be saved locally in their companion app.
A SwitchBot representative didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on additional details regarding Kata Friends’ privacy.
Clothes coming soon
While you can make DIY clothes for your Kata Friend, they will soon have their own official clothing and accessories line.
There are also plans to release a “gentle little companion,” according to the parenting guide, that will help you manage your SwitchBot devices. The company also makes robot vacuums, smart locks and smart home hubs.
Companionship at a cost
Kata Friends are now available on the SwitchBot website for $700.
A subscription plan is also required, and the least expensive “essential plan” costs $15 per month or $150 per year and includes only AI and software access. Until June 12, a free six-month essential plan is included. You will have to purchase the plan after the free trial ends.
A premium plan is $400 per year and includes complete repair and restoration (normally $270 per visit), a free complete health check-up per year (normally $330 per visit) and a free yearly grooming and cleaning (normally $86 per visit). Both the health check-up and grooming will be 30% off onward after you use your first free yearly visit.
The aforementioned visit costs are SwitchBot’s estimates; if you have the essential plan and require a repair or grooming, the cost may be higher depending on the extent.
So much for avoiding expensive vet visits.
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