I build a lot of critters, and I get this question a lot. Sometimes they're meant to look like animals we know, but usually they aren't.

Animals we know come with a lot of pre-set stories and associations. Dogs are loyal. Cats are aloof. Birds are smart. If you've owned an animal, your expectations are stronger and more specific. Dogs quirk their eyebrows in a specific way, cats lash their tails in a specific a way.

I avoid building robots that claim to be dogs or cats. If your user has high contact with the animal, there's very little you can do to fulfill their expectations. It's better to save yourself some time and have a little fun making a whole new critter, or imitating an animal that is real but unfamiliar.

Just because your critter is not a dog or a cat doesn't mean people won't be reminded of their pets. On the contrary, I find that I can hand people almost anything and they'll compare it to a pet as long as it completes the need illusion.

Plus, making up your own critter allows you to carefully balance the associations and feelings that you want your user to have as they interact with your robot. Like character design for a video game or animated film, but more IRL.

HaRoCo-12 is wondrous a mix of animals, and I'll be excited to talk about that when we finally post pics! But you can definitely be sure: it's not a dog or a cat, but something entirely new.