- Ecovacs has branched out from robovacs with an AI-powered, animatronic dog
- ‘LilMilo’ is designed to be an emotional companion robot
- He can recognize you, learn your habits and respond to petting
Ecovacs is a brand best known for its robot vacuum cleaners, but it just unveiled something completely different at CES 2026: its first ’emotional companion’ robot. Famibot LilMilo looks like a puppy, and thanks to some AI magic, it acts like one too. Minus the messy bits, of course.
It may look a bit like a stuffed toy from the pictures, but in person Milo is impressively lifelike in his mannerisms. So much so that during my CES booth tour I accidentally spent 10 minutes petting him and walked away a little teary. I blame jet lag.
LilMilo has a camera in his nose so he can recognize his owner, and he can hear your voice using a microphone in his ear. Adorably, the charging station comes in the form of a dog bed.
The demo model at the show could follow me around with her eyes and responded to my petting with a satisfied face and a wagging tail. Over time, I’m told, he’ll adapt to your habits and develop his own AI-powered personality.
There are several color options available, although disturbingly only one ‘breed’ – so I wasn’t able to find one to match my own, real dog at home (although who knows what that might have done to me in my already fragile emotional state).
In addition to choosing your favorite color, you’ll also be able to pimp your pooch with various accessories—the Ecovacs rep I spoke to told me she likes to think of it as an upgraded Build-A-Bear. At the CES booth I was treated to a fashion show with several rather stylish themed hats. Milo seemed happy with his headdress, and showed no signs of wanting to rip it off and eat it, so that’s good.
Although he’s partly just a cute, interactive toy, I can see how LilMilo could be a soothing companion for someone who can’t have a real pet. Judging by my own reaction, he is surprisingly easy to form an emotional bond with.
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