This robot will blow on your hot drink to cool it

Nékojita FuFu will deliver a serious dose of kawaii with your next cup of coffee.

The tiny cat-like robot, developed by a Tokyo-based robotics company Yukai Engineering, is designed to hang from a mug or sit beside a plate to cool hot drinks or food.

Unveiled at CES 2025 in Las Vegas, Nékojita FuFu is equipped with an internal fan that generates cool “breath” with a varying degree of intensity.

It also uses a special algorithm – dubbed a “Fu-ing System” – to randomize its blowing strength and rhythm in a way humans might.

According to the developers, the robot was designed to help people with a “cat tongue,” or intolerance of hot foods.

Hence the robot’s name, which combines “néko-jita,” or cat tongue in Japanese, and “fu fu,” which imitates the sound of blowing on a hot drink.

“We created Nékojita FuFu as a little personal meal partner, so you can solve your ‘néko-jita’ problem anywhere, anytime,” said Tsubasa Tominaga, the chief marketing officer at Yukai Engineering.

“The robot doesn’t just help you enjoy hot coffee. It can make it easier for seniors to down hot soup and reduce parents’ chores by helping kids eat with less help,” Tominaga said.

The robot can switch between various blowing modes, such as the full-force “I’ve Got This!” and a gentler “Not Gonna Spill.”

Yukai Engineering plans to release Nékojita FuFu in Japan sometime in mid-2025, pricing it at 3,800 yen, or around $25.

The robot is just one of the quirky innovations unveiled at CES 2025 that kicks off on January 7th.