The fear of robots and AI taking over—or even ending—the world is widespread. In Japan, however, there is little anxiety about a robot apocalypse. Most Japanese people have a positive impression of robots (Robertson 2018). How has this impacted the development of new, social robots that seek to create emotional connection and intimacy with humans? This paper explores two examples of such machines: the Aibo, Sony’s robot dog, and the childlike LOVOT by Groove X. Roboticists have designed both machines to look and act kawaii, or cute, in order to facilitate a more intimate, emotional connection with people (White 2019). This paper traces the various ways that such “kawaii technology” has been incorporated into robot design with reference to empirical studies on the effects of cuteness on psychology (Nittono 2016) and neurochemistry (Kringelbach 2016). I contrast this “universalist” approach, grounded in human biology, with a culture-specific analysis to understand why Japan has embraced emotional machines. Longstanding Japanese aesthetic values such as simplicity and imperfection, as well as a fondness for small things, have encouraged the growth of kawaii in both art and popular culture (Dale 2024). In addition, robot characters from manga and anime, such as Osamu Tezuka’s Astro Boy, have done much to influence the popular perception of robots in Japan as mechanical beings that meet human emotional needs (Nishimura 2026). I conclude by considering the future of kawaii robots outside Japan. Will they take over the world—or capture our hearts instead?

Authors:
Joshua Dale, Chuo University, Japan

About the Presenter(s)
Joshua Paul Dale is a Professor of American Literature and Culture at Chuo University, Tokyo. Dale has pioneered the new field of Cute Studies. In 2025, he was awarded a second JSPS grant to study the kawaii and cute aesthetics.

Connect on Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-paul-dale-729b5513a/

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