OPINION: Five years have passed since I bumped into a Lovot on the showroom floor at CES 2020 and had my heart stolen by Groove X’s jealousy-prone robot.
Lovots are small, emotionally charged robots that roll around the home, interacting with people and staring until you give them your undivided attention – especially if they catch you cuddling with another Lovot.
A quick internet search shows that Lovots are still going strong in 2025, though they’re currently only available to purchase in Japan. Groove X has collaborated with brands like Anna Sui, Mary Quant and Felix the Cat to design clothes for these cat-like robots, and the company has even created its own concept cafe in Kawasaki staffed by Lovots with names like Matcha and Waffle.
While CES had no shortage of robots that year, the emphasis on Lovots’ ability to show and receive affection held my attention like no other product. Fast-forward to 2025 and a growing number of tech companies and start-ups are recognising the value of cuteness.
Take Ropet for example, a robotic companion that could easily be mistaken for a cousin of a Lovot. Ropet wouldn’t be a 2025 product without incorporating an AI chatbot as ChatGPT integration allows you to interact with your Ropet in more than 50 languages.
Other key features include facial recognition, a mood radar and the ability to recognise certain foods and objects held in front of its face. You can also customise your Ropet’s eyes with different colours, and draw “eye blind boxes” to unlock new designs.
The blind box aspect feels particularly apt as this is exactly what another cute CES attendee – Yukai Engineering’s Mirumi – reminds me of, striking that perfect balance between cute and ugly popularised by Popmart’s viral Labubu dolls.
Playful or terrifying?
Mirumi is an owlish robot that clips onto your bag handle. Designed to mimic the behaviour of a baby, this palm-sized robot turns its head to peak at passersby and hides its face to convey bashfulness. It also shakes its head when jiggled.
Unlike Lovots which can serve a secondary purpose as an indoor security camera and Ropets with their AI smarts, Mirumi exist purely to “recreate people’s joyful experiences of noticing a human baby” (or scare them, depending on how you feel about a bag charm twisting its head around to stare at you on the street).
I don’t know about anyone else but I, for one, welcome our new fluffy overlords.
