You may remember the therapy robot pet Qoobo, which debuted at CEATEC Japan 2017 and garnered international acclaim for its ambitious, but somewhat creepy design. Designed by Yukai Engineering, Qoobo is a "tailed cushion that can heal your heart", and is marketed as a therapeutic robot pet cushion. While not exclusively intended to be feline, Qoobo (a combination of the French word for "tail" and the word "robot") has been somewhat jokingly referred to as a "headless cat".

The appeal of Qoobo is in its interactive and "stress-relieving" nature. Gently stroking Qoobo results in it calmly wagging its tail, while harder and more aggressive petting provokes a more excited tail-wagging motion. Researchers at Yukai Engineering studied animal behavior to simulate the tail-oriented responsive system, as well as determining the perfect size and fluffiness for cuddling. Development of Qoboo was originally launched when a designer at Yukai felt that she wished that there was a presence that could heal or sooth her heart when she returned home everyday. While in most cases a pet would do, this responsive robot might be better off for people who are too old or too busy to properly look after the needs of a real animal.

Qoobo, with a battery life of eight hours, comes available in "Husky Gray" and "French Brown" colors, and is available via the Qoobo online shop for pre-order (10,000 yen is the listed price), with shipments expected to arrive in Fall 2018.