Amongst a sea of latest TVs, robovacs, and smart glasses, Yukai Engineering’s Mirumi was a novel standout at CES 2025 earlier this yr. The tiny robotic has no sensible function aside from wanting cute and bringing a smile to folks’s faces by simulating an inquisitive character. The corporate deliberate to launch the companion bot someday in mid-2025, however mere weeks earlier than the yr ends Mirumi is lastly accessible for preorder via a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign.
Yukai Engineering initially anticipated Mirumi to be priced at round $70, however a lot has happened world wide since January, and the tiny bot will really price about twice that. The earliest Kickstarter backers can preorder Mirumi with grey, pink, or ivory fur for 18,360 yen, or round $118 with reductions. If you happen to drag your ft, the crowdfunding pricing will find yourself at 21,803 yen, or round $140, however that’s nonetheless discounted from the complete retail pricing, which is anticipated to be $150.
Following the Kickstarter there might be a bit extra ready, as Mirumi isn’t anticipated to ship till April 2026 on the earliest, however as with all crowdfunded product, it’s not a foul concept to brace your self for delays.
As an alternative of cleaning floors or mowing your lawn, Mirumi is positioned as a companion robotic, however one that can profit others extra typically. Utilizing an extended pair of arms the robotic attaches to bag straps or handles and seems to curiously go searching by turning and cocking its head back and forth.
Utilizing a distance sensor Mirumi also can detect close by folks and seem to focus its gaze and a spotlight on them, however may also simulate the bashful response of an toddler by shaking and turning its head away when somebody out of the blue seems or touches it. Mirumi isn’t overpacked with performance, and that might be its largest enchantment. It simply hangs out with you and quietly watches the world go by whereas sometimes brightening somebody’s day with only a look.
