If lockdown life has left you craving the companionship of a cuddly pet but you’re wary of dirty doggies and conniving kittens, a Japanese tech firm has created a more amenable alternative. Meet Moflin, an AI pet with “emotional capabilities that evolve like living animals.” The creature, which looks like a cross between a hamster and a slipper, won the Best of Innovation Award in Robotics at CES 2021 this week. [Read: How Netflix shapes mainstream culture, explained by data] Moflin uses a nature-inspired algorithm to learn and grow from patterns it detects through its sensors, according to its creators at Vanguard Industries.…

This story continues at The Next Web