ROPET

ROPET is an AI-powered desktop companion robot designed as a "cute pet" (萌宠) for female users, created by Beijing-based startup 萌友智能 (Ropet). Founder and CEO Jiabin He, a Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology graduate with product-design roots at Microsoft Research Asia, Baidu, and ByteDance, launched the company to build what he calls a "weak robot" — one that simulates a creature needing care rather than a tool that serves, aiming to generate emotional comfort through that dynamic . The first-generation "kamomo" debuted on Kickstarter in December 2024, raising $400,000, and a CES 2025 appearance reportedly generated 6 billion global impressions and coverage from Forbes, BBC, and CNBC . The device learns user habits and speech patterns over time, eventually personalizing interactions like using nicknames, with Ropet positioning itself as a "future pet company" at the intersection of AI,潮玩 (designer toys), and pet culture . Zhenzhi Venture Capital (峰瑞资本) provided early funding after meeting He post-CES .