Miau-BOT: A Cat Paw Companion Robot for Tactile Emotional Support When Driving

Abstract

This study presents Miau-BOT, an emotional companion robot that improves the driver's experience and enhances driving safety through dynamic tactile feedback. Miau-BOT assesses the driver's emotional and physical state in real-time using physiological data, and based on the driver's level of fatigue and emotional changes, it provides personalized emotional support by inflating and deflating cat paw pads and claws at different frequencies. Through emotional transfer, Miau-BOT establishes an emotional connection between humans and robots in the driving context, demonstrating the potential of emotional design to enhance both driving safety and comfort.