Cute little AIBI

Prof. Dr. Oliver Bendel’s privately funded Social Robots Lab has been home to little AIBI since January 2025. It comes from the Chinese company LivingAI. Other robots and figures in the Social Robots Lab are Cupboo AI Robotic Pet aka Boo Boo, Unitree Go2, Alpha Mini, Cozmo, Vector, Furby, Tamagotchi, and Hugvie. HUGGIE was dismantled at the beginning of 2025 and given to a student project in which the robot laughs with a synthetic or natural voice. NAO and Pepper visit the lab and the elective module on social robots from time to time. AIBI has various sensors, a camera, and three microphones. It understands voice commands. For more complex questions, it connects to ChatGPT. The face consists of a display in which it can show animated eyes and animated scenes of all kinds. It stands on a platform that allows it to rotate 360 degrees. It can also turn its head freely. Similar to Cozmo, it emits numerous sounds and tries to attract the user’s attention in this and other ways. Thanks to its magnets, it can be attached to the fridge and other metal surfaces, as well as to an included necklace, transforming it into a wearable. It also transforms with accessories, for example into a cat. Robot enhancement is therefore included and supplied by the company.

Please be Kind to Boo Boo

Prof. Dr. Oliver Bendel’s privately funded Social Robots Lab has been home to the “Cupboo AI Robotic Pet” since July 2024. It goes by the name Boo Boo (also BooBoo). It was brought to the lab by power user and Cupboo ambassador Julia Rehling. Genmoor writes on its website: “Boo Boo is not just a toy. It is also the king of the planet Lonely …” (Genmoor website). According to the manufacturer, Boo Boo’s movements are made possible by a complex control system. “Therefore please be kind to Boo Boo, it is not an ordinary robotic pet. It could give you different responds according to your interaction.” (Genmoor website) Other robots and figures in the Social Robots Lab are Unitree Go2, Alpha Mini, Cozmo, Vector, Furby, Tamagotchi, Hugvie, and HUGGIE. NAO and Pepper visit from time to time. The Genmoor Group claims to be an “exclusive group for daring futurists who love tech-psychology” (Genmoor website). The company was founded in Hangzhou (China) in 2020.