Researchers just built a floating robot
It drifts through a room and communicates with movement
In demos, it worked as an alarm clock, a study buddy, a reminder to get up and move, even a dance partner
Most robots struggle to feel friendly, since human-like faces drop people into the uncanny valley
So the team from Keio University and the MIT Media Lab designed the opposite: a soft, helium-filled body with gentle flapping fins, no face, and no rotors or pinch points to hurt you
The bet is that people will welcome a robot into their personal space, a bit like a pet, as long as the hardware is built to be touched