This AI robot is the Tamagotchi of the future: Introducing Mixi Romi Lacatan

If you have a few gray hairs like me, surely you remember the Tamagotchis, those little robots that came from Japan and were a kind of miniature digital pets. The reason for remembering them is that today’s invention reminds us a lot of that fun and exotic product.

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Technically speaking, the invention we are discussing is the conversational robot Mixi Romi Lacatan, which has been awarded the CES 2025 Innovation Award.

The latest Mixi model incorporates several AI-based features, such as the ability to see and talk about its surroundings. And we say latest model because, as we will now explain, its debut took place three years ago.

A robot that acts as a pet and a family member – this is Romi

This daily companion helps singles and seniors who don’t have pets, friends, or family to pass the time alone, explain the company responsible for creating this huge AI-powered tamagotchi.

The original Romi was launched in 2021 with the aim of “healing like a pet and understanding like a family member.” Some of the people surveyed during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns felt lonely and wanted to have pets, but couldn’t due to housing restrictions imposed on pet ownership.

And that’s where Romi comes in, which satisfies that need by engaging in daily conversations in English or Japanese with its user and even waking up sleepy users with its programmable alarms.

The latest model adds four AI-based functions to Romi. The robot can remember conversations, events, and memories from the past thanks to long-term memory powered by cloud storage. The conversation now flows naturally with the pace set by the human interlocutor, even when interrupted.

Synthesized voices, but similar to human ones, can be adjusted to the owner’s preferences. And the robot can see the world around it and use information about the world in its conversations.

Other AI features include the integration of OpenAI GPT-4o in assistance mode, which allows Romi to provide detailed responses, including cooking recipes or detailed scientific answers. This mode also allows the robot to be set in one of three scenes (business, teacher, and simulation game) to offer more appropriate responses.

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Romi Lacatan costs 89,800 yen (580 dollars) and the subscription to artificial intelligence services is 1,780 yen per month (12 dollars per month). Mixi accepts pre-orders in the Romi store, with delivery scheduled for spring 2025 in Japan.