CES Unveils Delivery Robot Yeti That Works Without Human Intervention, Breathing Pillow Fufuly To Comfort People With Anxiety

The 2023 Consumer Electronic Show (CES) just wrapped up, and several robots took center stage. Check out how tech enthusiasts bring robots into the new light.

CES 2023 Unveils Yeti - The Self-Driving Delivery Machine

The annual tech conference returned in Las Vegas. Over 100,000 people were in attendance, the first time the show was full pack since COVID-19.

The event ran from Jan. 5 to Jan. 8 and gave access to major brands and startups to the world's most influential leaders and industry advocates. Among the robots that got many's attention was Yeti - a self-driving delivery machine.

According to Brooklyn-based Ottonmy, Yeti has a self-dispensing feature that works independently, eliminating the need for human intervention when collecting deliveries. The company billed Yeti as "the first fully autonomous unattended delivery robot on the market, ideal for curbside, first mile and last mile deliveries, locker integration and automating the return process for retailers," Daily Mail reported.

Ritukar Vijay, CEO and co-founder of Ottonomy.IO, said that during the validation process, they ran pilots with airports, retailers, and postal services to have deep insights on how to devise a robot with the "most effective use cases and scalability."

With the creation of Yeti, Vijay is optimistic that they are in the "prime position to fill the gap that companies like Amazon and FedEx were not able to."

"As demand and the use cases for autonomous, unassisted delivery continue to grow, we are positioned to provide robots-as-a-service for restaurants, retailers, and beyond," he added.

Last year, Ottonomy deployed autonomous delivery robots at several airports worldwide - Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky (CVG), Rome Fiumicino International Airport (FCO), and Pittsburgh (PIT) - to test Yet's capabilities of delivering purchased items without human intervention.

Meet Fufuly - A Breathing Pillow That Will Breathe Along With You

Among the most bizarre innovation at the CES 2023 was Fufuly, a breathing pillow. The machine is designed to breathe along with its user when they hug it.

The anxiety-reducing cushion from Yukai Engineering features a gentle rhythmical pulsation as its primary therapeutic tool. It stimulates one's belly to induce slower and deeper breathing.

It uses the popular phenomenon of rhythmical synchronization between individuals or between individuals and objects. Fufuly mechanically expands and contracts to achieve the right rhythm and amplitude simultaneously, gently stimulating the user's belly to induce slower and deeper breathing.

It comes with three modes - "regular" and "deep" for calming needs, and the third is based on common relaxation breathing techniques.

The people behind Fufuly note how one feels calm when holding a baby or pet in their arms, thus prompting them to design the anxiety-reducing cushion.

"Using the cushion for just 5 minutes can reduce users' stress levels and make them more alert," said CEO Shunsuke Aoki, Engadget reported.

Yukai Engineering also brings Lightony to CES, a cute humanoid bedside lamp that nods off. Its life-like head tilt and eye roll movement will encourage one to sleep faster.

Lightony responds to voice commands. One can tell the robot to set a countdown when one is in bed or say "good morning" to wake you up in the morning.

Aoki told Endgadget that they would launch Fufuly in Japan this year through crowdfunding. A global launch is expected to follow. However, the company has yet to announce its price.

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