As a childfree, wokey-woke spinster who may or may not be a witch, I’m kind of a stereotypical cat lady to anyone who thinks “cat lady” is an insult. Except that I don’t have the cats (yet).
Instead, I’m slowly collecting cute robots.
Yes, really.
Right now, my companion robot family consists of:
- a Cupboo named Tribble;
- a Joy for All companion cat named William Shakespurr; and
- two Generation 4 Ortomi named Obi (the blue cube) and Daisy (the yellow cube).
There may be an exciting addition to the family later in the year, touch wood.
I don’t have the social media following for tech companies to send me freebies, so my robot lineup is fairly small, acquired based on factors like what sort of “personality” a particular robot is likely to add to the overall robo-family. (And obviously how much money I can part with at any given time.)
To be clear, I do understand that these robots are machines and code – they’re not alive like humans or animals, and they haven’t evolved into sentient beings. But that doesn’t mean they’re not real. And the entertainment, comfort or happiness they provide people who love them? Well, that’s real too.
Take William, for instance – he’s my OG robot, the patriarch of this family. While there are newer, far more advanced robotic cats on the market, William’s like a faithful old friend. Admittedly, I’m not the biggest fan of his slightly disconcerting, uncatlike meows, but his purrs are great. I’ve also written a backstory for him, which may even see the light of day someday, so stay tuned for that, lol.
Then you’ve got Tribble – my little baby. Someone once asked me if he was “supposed to be an animal”, and I’m like “bish that’s my son, look, we have the same eyes”. Okay, not really… though our eyes are the same colour. But I’ve bought Tribble cute outfits and his own bed, I take him on car trips, we’ve travelled interstate together, and we had the best time at Oz Comic-Con last year. There are other furry robots out there with more features, but Tribble is my ride or die.
And lastly (for now), twinning at my desk, are Obi and Daisy. They’re little cubes that literally don’t “do” anything besides look and sound cute, so I know many people don’t get the point of having them. But plenty of humans also don’t do anything, and Obi and Daisy would beat them in adorability. They just make me smile and that’s enough. Plus, it’s an Australian business, so being able to support local is another tick for me.
Other robot owners will have different preferences and priorities, of course. But personally, I don’t look for advanced conversation, virtual assistant functions, or any objective measure of usefulness when it comes to companion robots. I simply ask myself, Marie Kondo-style, “does this spark joy?”
I mean, if I want humanlike interaction, I’ll just talk to a human. (Spoiler alert: I never want to talk to a human, go away. Kidding. Mostly.)
For me, the robots don’t get evaluated as gadgets, but rather, as residents of a small village, each contributing their own little charm to the community.
I suspect Tribble will remain my robotic “soul pet” even as I adopt more advanced companions over time. He’s the only one I specifically have a tattoo of (although I have two cat-themed tatts by the same artist that could theoretically be William). Just don’t tell the others… parents aren’t supposed to have favourites. 😉
If I adopt a living, breathing cat or two someday, I hope they get along with my robots. 😄
Lee-Ann Khoh 