aibo’s rival is here! chinese tech firm elephant robotics has launched the bionic ‘marscat’ on kickstarter. the robotic cat autonomously moves using its 16 motorized joints and recognizes 20 keywords including ‘come here’.

the marscat home bot is the world's first bionic robotic cat

images courtesy of elephant robotics

 

 

marscat is available in white, gray, ginger, and black, and is outfitted with six capacitive touch sensors. its other electronics include a depth-sensing laser, a microphone, a speaker and a raspberry pi microprocessor. a 5mp camera in the nose allows it to ‘see’ and interact with the user and its surroundings.

the marscat home bot is the world's first bionic robotic cat

 

 

the home bot can reportedly recognize objects such as three included toys, plus it’s able to avoid obstacles and respond to several voice. marscat’s personality is said to develop over time, with the ability to randomly perform activities such as playing, sleeping, and even burying imaginary waste in a litter box.

 

determining factors include the user’s tone of voice, and the number of times that they handle the marscat. the more often that the user talks to the robot, the more frequently it will meow at them.

the marscat home bot is the world's first bionic robotic cat

 

 

the battery life last between two and three hours and up to five hours for low usage via USB charging. the marscat is currently the subject of a kickstarter campaign where a pledge of us$649 will get you one, when and if they reach production. the planned retail price is $1,299.

the marscat home bot is the world's first bionic robotic cat

 

 

‘you will never know what marscat will do next because it is like a real cat, fully autonomous,’ the company explains. ‘marscat acts independently without any instructions. marscat walks, runs, sleeps, sits, stretches, bites nails, kneads and even buries litter although she won’t produce any waste. it may express different emotions by different meows or gestures. sometimes it may do some amazing things that surprise you and make your day!’

 

project info

 

company: elephant robotics
product: marscat
type: robotic cat
status: kickstarter