Fribo was designed by Korean researchers who wanted to help lonely young people stay connected. Fribo, a robot that looks like a cross between a shadow and an anime cat, works by observing what a person is doing around their home. The robot uses sound and motion sensory detection to determine whether you just walked through the door, are doing your laundry, or doing other household activities. Fribo isn’t the only example we’ve come across of smart assistants which aim to promote social interactions. Intuition Robotics’ ElliQ, for instance, is designed with the elderly in mind. Like a mix of the Amazon Echo and a robotic version of the animated Pixar mascot, ElliQ uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to both offer limited robo-companionship, and also to suggest that owners reach out to friends and family regularly.

Product:

• Country: South Korea 
• Company: Yonsei University