Headless Cat Robot Will Wag Its Tail When You Pet It

click to expand

(CBS) -- It's come to this: robotic cats -- headless, limbless robotic cats -- with plush, wagging tails.

This promotional image shows Qoobo, a catlike pillow (no head) with a tail that will wag. (Yukai Engineering)

Yukai Engineering Inc. has unveiled Qoobo, a pillow that resembles a fluffy and plump feline torso, capped by a tail that will swish back and forth when you pet the faux-critter. "Tailed cushion that heals your heart," the company says on its website.

News accounts this week, including one from Mashable, says the prototype was introduced at an electronics trade show in Japan. The cat corpuss (again, no head and no limbs) will also vibrate in a sort of synthetic purr. The wagging tail is described as eerily realistic. Some have said the prototype resembles a Tribble from the original "Star Trek" series, albeit one with an appendage.

Qoobo is expected to cost consumers $100 a pop, according to Engadget. One of these babies could be wagging its tail in your home as soon as next June.

Qoobo | 心を癒やす、しっぽクッション。 by ユカイ工学 on YouTube