Original, inventive and bold. Here’s another project straight from the land of cherry blossoms. At first it may make you feel puzzled. You got to admit that a pillow equipped with a tail sounds a bit out of place. Just like the term “tail therapy” that the creators keep on using. Let’s have a look at this one of a kind idea with equally unique name: Qoobo.
What Exactly is Qoobo?
Qooboo is a middle sized pillow (33x15x64) weighting about 1 kilogram. Mashable called it a perfect four legged pet in their preview. Why can’t it actually be one? First: it has no legs and secondly: it’s a robot. Yes, a robot. Under the firm, smooth cover there is a whole mechanism hidden. The goal? Making the pillow wag its tail in a way identical to our purring friends.
The pillow is available in 2 color variants: Husky Gray and French Brown. Single unit was priced at 66,7 USD and 75 USD in Super Early Bird and Early Bird options. The standard version will cost 83,3 USD. At the moment it’s hard to write more. Creators don’t mention what material will be used for hem as fabric prices keep on changing. All we know is that Qoobo will come with a schematic teaching the buyer how to create their own hem from a preferred fabric.
The Secret of the Mechanism and the Tail Therapy
We don’t know much about the mechanism itself either. It was made by professionals from Yukai Engineering. They used various materials and perfected the tail’s movements by constant trial and error. The creators wanted a satisfactory result: a faithful copy of nature.
Let’s get to the core of the entire idea. Petting and hugging Qoobo has a therapeutic effect. Pillow answers to human affection by moving its tail, relieving stress and letting you relax. Nobuhiro Sakata, a professor from Dokkyo Medical University, confirms these ideas. He also calls the project innovative when it comes to human-robot relations. Qoobo is a mechanical friend with whom we communicate only through gestures. There are no commands, codes and buttons. All that makes interacting with it more natural.
What’s in Store for Qoobo
This unique pillow is a wonderful idea for anyone who can’t afford a live pet. In the campaign creators mention allergic sufferers, people renting flats or ones spending entire days at work. Potential buyers seem plentiful.
The topic of Qoobo quickly got to the western media. The Verge, Mashable and CNET reach hundreds of thousands readers everyday. Let’s not forget the noble idea the creators have. Looks like Qoobo is going to be the second japanese success on Kickstarter after Bocco. Will it meet the expectations of backers? We’ll learn this in 2018.
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