Remember the headless robotic cat that comforts you when you’re heartbroken or feeling down? Well, the company behind that technology, Yukai Engineering, is back with another tech product promising to look after your well-being. This time, it’s not here to heal your broken heart but to ensure you don’t get stressed by targeting your breathing.
How does it work? It’s said that deep breathing can benefit one’s health and well-being. Leveraging the natural phenomenon of rhythmical synchronization between individuals, or between people and objects, Yukai Engineering’s new product aims to coax you into synchronizing your breathing with it to achieve a relaxed, stress-free state. So, say hello to fufuly, the cushion that breathes with you.
Designed to look like a puff of air from a person’s breath, fufuly is a calming robotic cushion with deep breathing technology. All you need to do is hug it and take a deep breath, and you are on a journey of relaxation. The idea is that when you’re hugging a fufuly, its life-like behavior will stimulate your belly to induce slower and deeper breathing, thereby promoting relaxation.
The principles behind fufuly are not mere fairy tales or imaginative theories; they were developed in partnership with the University of Tokyo, based on research about the “phenomenon of rhythmical synchronization between individuals or between individuals and objects” as they interact with one another.
Fufuly is battery-powered, allowing it to be used anywhere, anytime. It offers three modes of operation: Regular, Deep modes for achieving user-robot synchronizations without the user’s awareness, and a mode built around common relaxation breathing techniques.
If you’re interested, you can learn more about this fascinating wellness tech product on its website or visit Kickstarter, where it’s being crowdfunded. The campaign has quickly met its funding goal, so if you desire, you can pre-order a fufuly by pledging for a product. The asking price during the campaign for a unit is 29,770-29,750 yen (about US$159-199).
Images: Yukai Engineering Inc. [JP].
