emotional toys

Intuitive Emotional Exploration

From SMTWAA (Social and Mental Therapy with Artificial Animals), we build research companions that invite discovery—about self, society, and the meaning of emotions.

A proposal for huggable, animal-inspired companions as gentle mirrors for emotional life.

Dot prototype study
dot
Letty prototype study
letty
Davie prototype study
davie

Emotional Cues

Studying how subtle expression builds comfort without overpromising intelligence.

Multi-Modal Interaction

Auditory, gestural, and analogue signals for a calm, low-friction loop.

Long-Life Design

Durable, repairable systems that prioritize resilience over cloud dependency.

Trust & Privacy

Designed to feel safe: clear boundaries, minimal data, transparent behavior.

About

SMTWAA proposes a novel robotics platform for emotional well‑being, exploring therapy, psychiatric care, and psycho‑emotional comfort through adaptive, huggable artificial animals. It emphasizes privacy‑first interaction, emotional detection, voice and facial presentation, and sustainable, flexible hardware—developed alongside clinicians and care providers. The diagram below shows how KSEM maps experience, feedback, and reflection, and how dot, letty, and davie shape those loops.

Ethical Lens

Kant–Schopenhauer Emotive Metric (KSEM)

KSEM is the primary lens, with the Autonomy–Will Concordance Metric (AWCM) as its shade. It evaluates whether an interaction preserves autonomy and dignity while also easing the pressures of will, distress, and compulsion—balancing self‑direction with relief. The focus is not performance but humane resonance: clear intent, ethical boundaries, and a measurable reduction of needless suffering over time.

A formal paper is being prepared. Preview it at: The Kant–Schopenhauer Emotive Metric

Origins: SMTWAA Research & Development

Social and Mental Therapy with Artificial Animals — Understand the novel research proposal behind this exploration.

What it proposes

Exploring emotional interaction: studies in trust signals, reflective companionship, and what synthetic presence can teach us about ourselves.

  • Huggable, animal-inspired forms that invite reflection.
  • Auditory, gestural, and analogue interaction for calm presence.
  • Emotive cues designed for trust, ease, and privacy-first use.
  • Self-programming behaviors without cloud dependency.

Explore the deck

Read the SMTWAA proposal and design rationale.

VIEW DECK (PDF) READ SMTWAA PAGE

Prototype Studies

Named companions presented as research artifacts for discovery about emotion, self, and society.

Dot prototype study

dot

Prototype A — desk-scale presence focused on attention cues and gentle reflection.

Goal: Attention cues
Davie prototype study

davie

Prototype B — huggable format exploring trust signals and nonverbal comfort.

Goal: Comfort & trust
Letty prototype study

letty

Prototype C — mobile study focused on routines, prompts, and long-life resilience.

Goal: Routine & movement

Current status & limitations

These are research prototypes. Behaviors are exploratory and intentionally limited.

  • No clinical claims or therapeutic guarantees.
  • Limited context awareness; designed for simple, calm interaction loops.
  • Privacy-first by design; minimal data retention.
  • Durability, safety, and long-life repair are ongoing research concerns.

Follow the research

We share field notes, prototype findings, and updates as the work evolves.

GET UPDATES

Contact

Questions, partnerships, or press inquiries.

Email: [email protected]