Hugvie robotic cushion has heartbeats, adds physical sensation to phone calls

How would you react if Casper – the friendly ghost character from that famous movie comes down to you with some little emotions in his heart and human expressions on his face? Sounds quite intriguing, right? Well if so, then gird up to experience something exactly similar. An ingenious professor by the name of Hiroshi Ishiguro from Osaka University, Japan has just developed an ambiguously human-shaped cushion dubbed ‘Hugvie’ which integrates a robotic heart.

Hugvie

But, the most interesting facet about this human-shaped companion that comes across is its embedded heart which throbs with emotions. Enclosed in a minimalistic human form, the huggable communication medium features a neat pocket for you to place your handset into. By taking advantage of which, the cushion vibrates in accord with your caller’s voice and establishes a physical sensation of his or her tones.

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The Hugvie is a cushion in a minimalistic human form

The Hugvie is a cushion in a minimalistic human form

Designed to render an intuitive, rich communication experience, the vibrantly doused Hugvie comes with a few vibrators that throb like a human heartbeat and vibrate instantly on the caller’s volume or tone. Sounds great, doesn’t it? Well, the device basically focuses on putting forth a more intimate and physical communication interaction. So, all you will be required to do is – place your mobile phone into Hugvie’s sleek pocket and have it synchronize the integrated vibrators to the voice of your loved ones when they call you up. Indeed a great invention, we must say.

Based on the structure of Telenoid soft robot (which was again conceptualized by Hiroshi), the robotic cushion really feels like a person when you are embracing it or giving a warm hug. However if you are intrigued enough, you can fork out about ¥3,990 ($50) and get one from the official Vstone Robot Shop.

So tell us, how many points for this colorful, human-shaped cushion that hails from Japan to add a physical sensation to your special phone calls? Well if you ask us, oodles of brownie points is what this Hugvie will get from us for its potbelly.

Via: DigInfo