For decades, machines have been built to think — now Japan's technology companies are asking whether they can also be built to comfort. From palm-sized meerkat companions to AI pets that learn affection through touch, a new generation of emotional robots is moving from novelty into serious commerce and, quietly, into hospital wards where children face illness without the full presence of those who love them. The market, projected to nearly triple to $7.37 billion by 2032, reflects not just technological ambition but a deeper social question about what loneliness requires of us — and whether a
Japan's AI robots expand beyond pets to offer emotional comfort and companionship
Robots being used to provide emotional support to hospitalized children at Jikei University Hospital in Tokyo.
Machines that learn affection through touch
Mark
So these robots are being marketed as emotional support. What does that actually mean in practice?
Mimi
It means they're designed to respond to you in ways that feel personal. Moflin gets more expressive when you touch it. Poketomo talks to you directly. They're not just executing commands—they're supposed to adapt to how you interact with them.
Luke
But we should be careful here. "Emotionally expressive" is what the company claims. We don't have independent verification that users actually feel comforted, or that the comfort lasts, or that it's meaningfully different from a regular toy.
Mark
The hospital use is interesting though. Why would Jikei University put these in with sick children if they didn't think they worked?
Mimi
Hospitals are always looking for non-pharmaceutical ways to reduce anxiety. A robot that moves and responds might genuinely help a child feel less alone. But that's a specific context—a child in a hospital bed, limited visitors, high stress.
Luke
Right. And we don't know the outcomes yet. The robots have been there since February. Has anyone measured whether children actually recover better, or feel less anxious? That data isn't in the reporting.
Mark
What about the market projections? Seven billion dollars by 2032?
Mimi
That's based on one research firm's estimate. It assumes sustained growth, continued consumer interest, and no major technological disruption.
Luke
It also assumes these robots will actually deliver on their promise. If people buy one and find it doesn't really help, the market could flatten fast. We're looking at projections, not guarantees.
Mark
So we're still in the early stage of figuring out whether this actually works.
Mimi
Exactly. The technology is real. The companies are serious. But whether emotional comfort from a robot is sustainable or sufficient—that's still an open question.
The Pulse
- Japanese firms Sharp, Casio, Sony, and Yukai Engineering are racing to market with AI companions that don't merely react but appear to adapt — learning moods, preferences, and patterns from the humans who hold them.
- The stakes have quietly shifted: Casio's Moflin is already deployed at Jikei University Hospital in Tokyo, sitting beside hospitalized children where human presence is limited and anxiety runs high.
- A market once anchored by Sony's 1999 Aibo novelty is now on track to nearly triple in value by 2032, signaling that investors and manufacturers believe emotional robotics is a durable need, not a passing trend.
- The unresolved tension is fundamental — whether these machines genuinely ease isolation or simply paper over it with warm, responsive surfaces that mimic connection without delivering it.
- Hospital trials are emerging as the first real test of that question, with medical institutions and manufacturers watching closely to see if therapeutic comfort can be measured, replicated, and scaled.
For decades, machines have been built to think — now Japan's technology companies are asking whether they can also be built to comfort. From palm-sized meerkat companions to AI pets that learn affection through touch, a new generation of emotional robots is moving from novelty into serious commerce and, quietly, into hospital wards where children face illness without the full presence of those who love them. The market, projected to nearly triple to $7.37 billion by 2032, reflects not just technological ambition but a deeper social question about what loneliness requires of us — and whether a machine can answer it.
Japan's technology companies are placing a significant bet: that robots can offer something machines have rarely managed — genuine emotional comfort. What began as a curiosity with Sony's Aibo dog in 1999 has matured into a competitive market projected to reach $7.37 billion globally by 2032, nearly triple its 2025 value.
The range of products now available is telling. Sharp's Poketomo is a palm-sized meerkat designed for direct, unpretentious interaction. Casio's Moflin grows more emotionally expressive the more it is petted or held — a machine that learns affection through touch. Yukai Engineering's Mirumi clips onto a bag and turns its head in response to sound, functioning as both companion and accessory. What unites them is artificial intelligence sophisticated enough to move beyond mechanical reaction into something resembling behavioral adaptation — robots that seem to develop moods and preferences based on how they are treated.
The most consequential application so far is unfolding in a hospital. Since February, Moflin robots have accompanied children admitted to Jikei University Hospital in Tokyo, offering a non-threatening presence in a setting where human companionship is often constrained. The deployment suggests that both manufacturers and medical institutions sense potential well beyond the living room.
What remains genuinely open is whether these machines will fulfill the emotional role their makers envision, or whether they will prove to be sophisticated comfort objects that soothe without resolving the isolation beneath. The hospital trials may be the first place that question finds a real answer.
Japan's technology companies are betting that robots can do something machines have never quite managed before: offer genuine emotional comfort. The market for these machines has grown so rapidly that what began as a novelty—Sony's Aibo dog, released in 1999—has become a serious business, with projections suggesting the global market will nearly triple to $7.37 billion by 2032.
The diversity of what's now available is striking. Sharp released a new version of Poketomo in August, a palm-sized robot modeled after a meerkat, designed to interact with users in a direct, unpretentious way. Casio Computer took a different approach with Moflin, an AI pet that grows more emotionally expressive the more a person pets or hugs it—a machine that learns affection through touch. Tokyo-based Yukai Engineering launched Mirumi in April, a clip-on robot small enough to attach to a bag, which moves its head in response to sound or touch, functioning as both companion and wearable accessory.
What ties these products together is the integration of artificial intelligence, which has allowed manufacturers to move beyond simple mechanical responses into something closer to behavioral adaptation. The robots don't just react; they appear to develop preferences, moods, and patterns of engagement based on how users interact with them.
The therapeutic applications are already being tested. Since February, Casio has provided Moflin robots to Jikei University Hospital in Tokyo, where they accompany hospitalized children. The hospital deployment suggests that manufacturers and medical institutions see potential beyond entertainment—that these machines might serve a genuine function in settings where human companionship is limited or where a child's anxiety needs a non-threatening presence.
Sony's Aibo remains the market leader, still popular despite being over two decades old. The robot reacts to external stimuli and moves with dog-like behavior, establishing a template that newer competitors are refining rather than abandoning. The projected market growth—from roughly $3.5 billion in 2025 to $7.37 billion in 2032—reflects confidence that demand will continue expanding as the technology improves and as more use cases emerge beyond the home.
What remains unclear is whether these robots will fulfill the emotional role their makers envision, or whether they will remain sophisticated toys that provide comfort without addressing the underlying isolation they're designed to ease. The hospital trials will likely offer the first real data on that question.
Notable Quotes
Poketomo is designed to speak to users in a frank and unpretentious manner— Sharp's product description
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