The pulsating cushion seems to calm anxiety.

Yukai Engineering, the team behind this strangely adorable product cat tail pillowThe Japanese company, Fufuly, has a new and quirky invention. The Fufuly cushion was revealed at CES 2023. This is another anxiety-reducing cushion by the Japanese company. However, it features a gentle rhythmical pulsation that acts as the main therapeutic tool. Fufulys stimulate your belly to produce slower, deeper breathing. Although the cushion was thought to be a bubble shape, it felt more like an airy creature lying in my arms. CEO Shunsuke Akoki even suggested that I mistook the cushion’s quiet mechanical sound for a cat’s purr.

Yukai Engineering collaborated with the University of Tokyo to create this project. They studied the “phenomenon of rhythmical synchroization between individuals or between objects” in their interactions with each other. Think how we usually feel calm when we’re holding a baby or pet in our arms — it’s all subconscious. “Using the cushion for just 5 minutes can reduce users’ stress levels and make them more alert,” according to Aoki.

Fufuly has three modes of operation. There are the self-explanatory regular and deep modes, which can be used to calm your mind. The third mode is based on relaxation breathing techniques. Unfortunately, the prototype we saw on the show floor couldn’t be changed between modes. Aoki explained that his team had originally thought of a pulsating pillow around the same period as the Qoobo cattail pillow. But, in the end, the Qoobo was the one they developed first.

Yukai Engineering showed Lightony which is a cute humanoid lamp that turns off after a while. The robot’s lifelike head tilt and eye rolls movements are supposed to help you fall asleep quicker, but it is also possible that children will just keep playing with the toy. Lightony can also be spoken to, so you can tell it to turn down the countdown or wake up.

Engadget was told by Aoki that Fufuly would launch in Japan via crowdfunding. The global launch will follow later, but no price has been announced. The Lightony is still in early development, so we will have to return later for an update.