Ropet is the cute emotional robot at CES 2025 that the modern Furby would like to be

I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s been dethroned, but Mirumi, the sticky ball of fluff with a staring problem, now has some serious competition for the title of cutest robot at CES 2025. I just met Ropet, a fellow with eyes wide open. robot with soft, warm fur, flapping arms and big feelings. And damn, that thing is adorable.

Ropet’s only mission is to love and be loved. Think of it as a living stuffed animal; He has personality, he will listen to your deepest, darkest secrets without judging you and he will reach out to hug you when you are sad. Its appearance is customizable and it has optional ChatGPT integration, so it’s there if you want it for advanced conversations with the bot, but you don’t have to. Its small button nose is a camera that it uses for face and object recognition; Ropet may identify and bond more closely with its owner, but will also remember other people. All of this data is stored and processed locally, meaning it never leaves the device.

If you don’t rely on that (fair enough), you can keep Ropet completely disconnected from the Internet and it will still be able to perform all its functions except ChatGPT. That includes reacting to audio, touch and gesture inputs. If you pet or hug him, his expression will change to visible happiness. Or he may seem in a bad mood if you shake him. (What are you, evil? Don’t do that.) Show him one of the few dozen objects he knows, like a hot dog or a banana, and you’ll see an emoji appear in his eyes. You can give him the “quiet” signal to calm down and he will dance if you are listening to music.

We’re at the point in CES week where we’re all exhausted, and Ropet brought some unexpected childlike joy to this burnt-out elf for a few minutes. Emotional companion robots are a ubiquitous presence at CES, but the ones that actually have some degree of intelligence tend not to be so easy to cuddle. And the ones that can curl up are generally not very intelligent and tend to look more animatronic. Ropet looks like a fluffy baby seal, but not realistic enough to immerse yourself in uncanny valley territory, and its body emits heat to simulate the sensation of holding a living creature.

It’s hard not to draw comparisons to Furby, which is probably the best-known example of a pet robotic creature that responds to voice and touch commands. But Ropet takes the idea to another level. You can change her eye color in the app and purchase different face plates and skins if you want to mix things up or just can’t decide how you want her look. There are also small sets you can buy.

A Kickstarter campaign for Ropet managed to raise $228,091, far surpassing its goal of $1,285, so I’m definitely not the only one who thinks this little guy looks pretty promising. There are two purchasing options for anyone interested: Ropet Basic ($299), which comes with a case and a USB-C charging cable, and Ropet Pro ($329), which comes with those things plus a charging dock that has light effects. and let Ropet spin a little. The Kickstarter doesn’t end until January 21, so if you get it before then you can get it at a much cheaper price. Pre-orders are expected to begin shipping in March, with the rest set to be released to the world later this year.

Now we sit back and see if Ropet will follow in Furby’s footsteps to develop his own slightly sinister story that will last for decades to come.