Sega robo-cat will meow, won't catch mice

A Sega Toys employee pets the new robot cat "Yume-Neko Venus" in Tokyo Wednesday.

(Credit: AFP Photo/Yoshikazu Tsuno)

Some will call it cute, others will surely call it creepy. We'll reserve final judgment until we see how it feels when Sega Toys' new "Yume-Neko Venus," or "Dream Cat Venus," sheds on our couch and rubs up against our leg.

The robo-cat is equipped with touch sensors that let it engage in such real-life feline behavior as purring, moving its legs when you rub its belly, and sleeping a lot. It will not, as far as we know, scratch your face or drag mice in.

The furry faux cat (OK, maybe if you're allergic...) is set to hit the market in July, but we're not yet sure for how much. Hopefully by then we will have finally made uneasy peace with the existence of Lucky the robo-dog.

For a better sense of how Dream Cat Venus operates, watch this video of its predecessor, Dream Cat Smile, in action.

[ericaatnews]

Sooooo creepy.

[ichdurfte]

I wish I could be there for the child that grows up with this and then one day plays with a real cat... Hilarity will ensue... HAHA.

[Shaun822]

Oh my I can see it now. That is hilarity.

[abundantsnotbob]

Ouch, it bit me! lol

[John_Johnson]

Holy Uncanny Valley

[isaacm30]

If it was April 1 I would be a little unsure! An article about cats by by KATZ.
Enough said?

[Motyoj]

I'd rather play with that gal's kitty.

[AppleSuxLeo]

She is petting her ***** Kat !

[someguynamedbob]

wont th kid then think you need to shove batterys in cats then?

[rowsky9]

These kinds of toys from asia are actually made with REAL CAT FUR they get from skinning cats alive and them throwing them in the trash. PLEASE don't buy any of these toys they come from tortured animals.

[xZero2007x]

Do you have any cited sources to back your claim? I'm a little curious to see if what you say is true (well, not word for word but you get the idea).

[pc2macandluvinit]

Yup. We're in a recession. Can't afford to heat the home, but I need a robo-cat!

[fedtho]

CREEPY, definitely. Like a prop in an old horror movie.
I can't imagine this targeted on adults (I know, I really shouldn't be sure about that...) - so it IS intended for kids, right? For kids, I presume, who have never had a *real* cat. So what on earth is the idea? It's going to be a freak, a funny monster to a kid. The kid might know that a cat meows... but he has never, for instance, experienced that cats purr when you stroke them... I can see myself get lost in this, so I'll stop.
i'm probably just freaking out because I can't get my head around the fact that people in Japan love *any* kind of robot, that it's a cultural thing, and that this doesn't mean they're in any way to be considered weirder than us western folks. Unfortunately, we have pleanty weird in our own caracacteristics...

[jaycustom]

HA! Now,I love cats. Me and my GF have a 3 year old and a 4 month old....but the only reason we'd buy this is to *** with the real cats. I think the kitten would tear its head off..he's got heart. This would be great to have when company comes over...you can kick it across the living-room,and then pick up your real cat and hand it to someone and say "Try it!!!" LMFAO!!!

[styymy]

Would be great for people with cat allergies.