SwitchBot’s Latest AI Gadget Might Be Its Craziest Yet And That’s Saying Something

Noa and Niko, the $700 AI companions that combine LLM processing with "empathetic" robotics.

SwitchBot

SwitchBot is officially launching its AI Pet companion robots, months after teasing the concept last year at IFA.

The new KATA Friends range consists of Noa and Niko: soft-bodied AI-powered robot companions designed to wander around your house, react to touch, recognize emotions, remember routines, and apparently develop attachment patterns based on how you raise them.

Yep… I said “raise them”.

SwitchBot, who isn’t shy about pushing the boundaries when it comes to wacky smart home devices, says the robots can greet you at the door, respond differently to individual family members, sense mood changes through voice recognition and even keep a diary of shared experiences while taking photos “from their own perspective.”

Under the fluffy exterior, there’s a fairly serious pile of AI tech. SwitchBot says the robots combine on-device LLM processing with local visual recognition for gestures and facial recognition, alongside cloud-based AI features for more advanced interaction.

There are 12 touch-sensitive zones across the body, autonomous navigation, obstacle avoidance, and self-charging support.

It’s essentially a Tamagotchi crossed with a home robot, wrapped around a ChatGPT-style conversational system.

And somehow, it still isn’t the weirdest thing SwitchBot has shown off lately.

The company has spent the past year repositioning itself from a smart home accessories brand into what it calls an “AI-enabled embodied home robotics” company.

At IFA 2025, the KATA Friends reveal arrived alongside the company’s AI Hub, a control system with OpenClaw baked in, designed to make smart home automation more conversational and context-aware.

Then there’s Acemate, the AI tennis robot incubated by SwitchBot, which is essentially a robotic tennis coach.

There’s definitely a market forming around emotionally aware AI hardware. Devices like Rabbit’s R1, Humane’s ill-fated AI Pin, and the growing wave of AI companion apps have shown the tech industry is increasingly obsessed with making AI feel personal rather than purely functional.

SwitchBot’s approach just happens to involve giving that idea googly eyes and the ability to follow you around the house… just don’t get it wet or feed it after midnight (I’m not sure the latter is possible).

At $700, it’s a pretty big outlay for something that could, theoretically, become jealous and sulk.

Buried underneath the cuteness (and silliness) is a more serious industry trend though, one shifting toward personality and contextual awareness.

CES 2026 was packed with AI robots… it wouldn’t surprise me at all if more brands follow SwitchBot’s lead and make their next wave of robots more “friendly”.

Noa and Niko can be purchased now, direct from SwitchBot.