The Times calls this a ‘robot cat that will nip your fingers’. I prefer the word “nibble”. They mean different things. Nibbling is gentler and a friendly form of interaction whereas a nip is a minor bite in my book. Sorry but I think The Times got that wrong.
Please click on the link below to see the photo as it can’t be on this page because advertisers don’t like it 😢.
Amagami Ham Ham. Photo from animated gif provided by Yukai Engineering
So, what is this robot? It is a furry robotic creature manufactured by a Japanese company called Yukai Engineering. It is shaped like a cat and it can nibble a user’s fingertips. What fun 😎.
It is called the Amagami Ham Ham. A very Japanese name and I like it. It has an algorithm that selects one of 24 nibbling patterns. The “owner” or caregiver (a better word) doesn’t quite know what to expect when they put their finger into the robot’s mouth.
Please click on the link below to see an animated gif as it can’t be on this page because advertisers don’t like it 😢.
Amagami Ham Ham in action. Animated gif from Yukai Engineering
THERE ARE SOME MORE ROBOTIC CAT STORIES AT THE BASE OF THE PAGE!
The company’s chief marketing officer, Tsubasa Tominaga, remarked philosophically that the robot “frees humankind from the conundrum of whether to pursue or not to pursue the forbidden pleasure”. What does that mean? It means sticking your hand in a cat’s mouth to be nibbled is a forbidden pleasure. Definitely. It sounds slightly erotic actually. And I think it is meant to. It is not mentioned but I think this is part of the marketing.
My guess is that when you put your finger in the mouth of this robot it is going to feel a lot more pleasant than when you put your finger into the mouth of your cat (if you can manage it – not advised 😉).
Some fancy electronic and computer products have been exhibited at the Consumer Electronic Show (CES) which is hosted each January in Las Vegas, USA. The show gives us an idea of the trends that could determine the tech industry for the year ahead.
Amagami Ham Ham is run by a computer algorithm called a ‘Hamgorithm’ which selects one of two dozen ‘nibbling patterns’ as they call them. Three of these “patterns” are called Tasting Ham, Massaging Ham and Suction Ham.
‘Amagami’ means “soft biting” and “ham” means “bite” in Japanese. They based the appearance of the robot on a character from Liv Heart Corporation’s Nemu Nemu stuffed animal series. There are two models to choose from: one a calico cat called Yuzu and the other Kotaro (Shiba Inu).
The company believes that most people like the sensation of having their finger nibbled. I wonder whether they based this knowledge on babies nibbling fingers or sucking their fingers? Or the activities that sometimes take place between consenting adults when enjoying sex 👍 (more likely). We don’t know the price of this product. They are going to run a crowdfunding campaign in the spring to develop and market it.
Yukai also have a headless fluffy cat robot with a swinging tail which it calls a “tailed cushion that heals your heart”.
