necomimi

Mind-controlled robot tail lets you wag when happy

So you've got your cat ears, your cat suit, and everything else you need to transition to another species. What's missing? A thought-controlled robot tail, of course.

From Neurowear, the makers of Necomimi robot cat ears, comes this concept for a mechanical tail that moves according to the user's emotional state. There's a brainwave-reading sensor, also used in Necomimi, that can be hidden under your hat.

As seen in the ridiculous vid below, your tail will wag when you see a bunch of pretty flowers, or an attractive Frisbee player in the park.

And, no doubt, fresh kitty litter. … Read more

Giant robot cat mask purrfect for pesky mice

Japanese writer Natsume Soseki, author of the celebrated novel "I Am a Cat," would have loved this one.

Researchers at Tokyo Metropolitan University's Ideea Lab have developed a giant furry cat head that mimics the movements of its human wearers.

The Neko Kaburu headpiece, aka the AnimatronInterface, consists of an inner mesh mask equipped with sensors that track eyelid, mouth, and muscle movements.

These are reproduced in the cat mask, so users look like they have giant cartoon cat heads. … Read more

Robotic cat ears for humans, an ears-on test

When you see a cat or dog, the wagging tail or arched back can immediately tip you off to the animal's mood. Can technology make it as easy to read people?

That's the idea behind the Necomimi, a pair of brain-wave sensing robotic cat ears made by Japanese company Neurowear. The fuzzy motorized ears are built atop headset technology created by San Jose, Calif.-based NeuroSky. It relies on electroencephalography from a single sensor placed on the forehead to read a person's brain waves and communicates with a nearby PC or Mac with a wireless USB plug-in to determine if a person is focused or relaxed. If the wearer is focused, the attached ears stay erect. When relaxed, the ears face down.

Earlier this year, Neurowear made a cutesey video of the ears that became a small hit on the Web, generating 1.6 million views (a lot of people could probably identify, as the girl in the video checks out an attractive guy, and her robotic ears move). Neurowear's original intent was to make only one pair, but after the gimmick attracted so much attention online, the company decided to produce a line of robotic ears.

Tansy Brook, a spokesperson for NeuroSky, visited CNET headquarters in San Francisco earlier this month to show off the third prototype of the ears and give me a chance to try them on. … Read more

Control these robot cat ears with your brain

How do you know if a girl is interested in you? If she's wearing Necomimi robot cat ears, you'll know right away. Whether you'd be interested in girls who wear cat ears is another matter.

A Japanese group called Neurowear has been promoting this high-tech headband, which consists of a pair of motorized, fuzzy feline ears and a brain wave sensor.

The ears feature in Japan's otaku subcultures centered on anime and manga fandom. They're seen in catgirl outfits worn by cosplay enthusiasts.

It's easy to find cat-ear headbands in Japan, but Neurowear has taken them a step beyond. The Necomimi forehead brain wave sensor makes the ears stand up when the wearer concentrates. They turn down in response to a relaxed state.

In the rather ridiculous PR video below, the ears stand up when a woman passes a man who catches her eye. Meanwhile, guys have also been trying Necomimi, as seen in the vid here, shot at a recent demo in Tokyo. … Read more