Introducing the Cuddlebot

Abstract

We present the Cuddlebot, a cat-sized robot equipped with a full-body, flexible fabric pressure sensitive touch sensor. Cuddlebot can move its head, arch its back, purr, and change how it ``breathes.' Our research explores how touch interactions affect stress and anxiety mitigation, and we demonstrate our current gesture recognition system, enabling users to connect sensed gestures and response behaviours.