SmartApe Tech is a start-up that claims to have the technology to cure loneliness ("the epidemic we ignore", even with well over 17,000 search results on PubMed, apparently) and that it is now ready for prime-time (or crowdfunding, at least).
The "Emotional AI Companion Device" is touted as a world first, (although Mixi might have something to say about that) and looks a lot like an upright wireless charger - except that the "charging pad" is a smartphone-like screen supposedly rated to display an artificial human friend.
They can be chosen from a "library" of pre-existing characters - or can even be generated based on a photo and voice clip "of someone you love, miss, or admire", long-dead celebrities included.
The inevitable Black Mirror reference vibes intensify with claims that the "Companion" can then chat, commiserate or conciliate with the user, with increasing conviviality and familiarity over time (like so many pre-existing chatbots).
Euvola's device also integrate almost iPhone-style proximity sensors and "soulful" speakers (with ambient LED lighting), so that it can activate itself automatically and be ready to talk whenever the user comes close enough to it.
The company asserts that the Companion lasts a lifetime, as does its growing memory - although it also offers a Euvola Premium package that ensures said memory remains "permanent & unlimited"...like that other Black Mirror episode.
Looming ethical (and mental (and public) health) ramifications of the application of this new "True Empathy AI" aside, (particularly as Euvola also strongly hints at its product's potential for simulated intimacy) the start-up also claims to protect the user's privacy through measures such as "end-to-end encryption" and minimal data collection.
Euvola also plays on the potential backer's emotions by encouraging them to grab the gadget at its "Super Early Bird" price of $199 (or $100 off its planned retail price) while they still can.