Much like Paro, the cuddly seal robot, Kobie is said to be the most advanced robotic pet companion in Korea, not far behind many other robotic projects worldwide. Developed by the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), Kobie reacts to touch and sound, and can even react to individual human feces faces.
Kobie even reacts to violence. Slap him once, and he acts surprised, keep slapping him and he’ll develop a fear of you. Thanks to complex wireless communication functions and tactile, light, audio and posture sensors hidden in Kobie’s cuddly body, he will be an accurate and friendly pet friend. — Andrew Dobrow