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iPresenceLatest NewsHugs are possible even when you're far away. The remote hug robot "FuAra," jointly developed by iPresence and Osaka Institute of Technology, will debut at the Osaka Kansai Expo on Tuesday, September 9th.
  • 2025.09.11
  • Press Release

Hugs are possible even when you're far away. The remote hug robot "FuAra," jointly developed by iPresence and Osaka Institute of Technology, will debut at the Osaka Kansai Expo on Tuesday, September 9th.

Offering a future communication experience that brings people closer together at the Osaka Healthcare Pavilion Reborn Stage at the Osaka-Kansai Expo

iPresence Inc. (Headquarters: Higashinada-ku, Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture; CEO: Christopher Chris Francis; hereinafter "iPresence") and Osaka Institute of Technology (Osaka City; President: Susumu Inoue) are pleased to announce that they have jointly developed the remote hugging robot "FuAra."

"FuAra" is a new type of soft avatar robot that conveys warmth as if you were there, even from a distance. By combining our robot technology with the knowledge of the Flexible Robotics Laboratory, Department of Robotics, Faculty of Robotics and Design, Osaka Institute of Technology, we have achieved the feeling that a loved one is right there with you, something that was not possible with previous rigid telepresence avatar robots."Remote hug experience"This has made it possible.

FuAra will be unveiled for the first time at the Osaka Healthcare Pavilion Reborn Stage at the Osaka-Kansai Expo 2025. This exhibit will be on display for a limited time from September 2025th to September 9th, 9, as part of the Resona Mirai Color Reborn Challenge organized by the Resona Group.

Main features of "FuAra" and event experience content

FuAra uses remote control technology for its avatar robots, as well as its unique motion capture technology, to deliver the warmth of a hug. At the venue, you can experience the future of communication in two ways:

  • [Solo Experience] Experience being hugged by FuAra
    When visitors approach FuAra, he will give them a gentle hug. As you hug him, you can feel FuAra's heartbeat and experience the heartfelt warmth he sends from afar.

  • [Experience for two] A joint experience of being the "hug giver" and the "hug recipient"
    One of the two people will perform a hug in the "FuAra Motion Capture Experience Zone." This movement will be recognized by a motion capture camera and transmitted in real time to the other FuAra.

Please come and experience the emotional connection that FuAra brings. We look forward to seeing you there.

Exhibition overview

  • Exhibit: "Resona Mirai Color ~Winter~ Future Technology"
  • Date: Tuesday, September 2025, 9, 9:9 AM - Monday, September 00, 9 (national holiday), 15:21 PM
  • Venue: Osaka Kansai Expo "Osaka Healthcare Pavilion Reborn Challenge"
  • Admission: Free (Expo admission fee required separately)
  • Booth name: iPresence Inc.
  • Cooperation: Osaka Institute of Technology

■ About iPresence Co., Ltd.
iPresence Inc. develops and provides telepresence avatar robots (telerobo) and AI agents that enable remote communication with a greater sense of presence and realism for people in remote locations, based on the theme of "as if you were there." We define this unique worldview as a pseudo-"teleportation," and aim to maximize the potential of remote communication and create new ways of working and living.

We are involved in various ways with the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo as a technology that will shape the society of the future. In addition to exhibiting at the Osaka Healthcare Pavilion, we are also providing "temi," a solution that allows children who cannot attend the Expo site to experience the Expo remotely, through our "Anywhere Expo" initiative.

■ About Osaka Institute of Technology
Osaka Institute of Technology is a comprehensive science and engineering university that cultivates engineers who will contribute to society in a variety of fields, including robotics, AI, information science, architecture, and machinery. For this joint development project, we received cooperation from the Flexible Robotics Laboratory of the Department of Robotics, School of Robotics and Design Engineering, and their advanced research knowledge was utilized in the development of "FuAra."

 

■ Information related to the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo

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