OKA Introduces Mori, a Small AI Companion Robot for the Home
OKA has launched Mori, a 30cm-tall companion robot designed to bring more character to domestic technology. Shaped like a mushroom with a lit cap and fabric-covered stem, it is priced at $649 and intended for solo living and mindful interaction. The company was founded by Wesley Chen and Hua Wang, who wanted a home robot that felt less intrusive than humanoid machines.
OKA, which stands for One Kind Artifact, was founded by Wesley Chen and Hua Wang. Wang describes an itinerant entrepreneurial life and says he once spent ten years building mechanisms meant to pull people back to their phones. The pair point to Fritz Lang’s 1927 film Metropolis as raising the question of why robots are still not common in everyday life.
Mori is about 30 cm tall, near desk-lamp scale, with a lit cap, a fabric stem containing real wool and offered in four colors, plus lit eyes and a camera nose. A tap on the stem wakes it; its onboard AI is meant to learn individuals and settings, and relaxation modes use light, sound, and breathing prompts.
Mori may appeal most to people living alone or seeking calmer, less utilitarian home technology, offering a low-pressure object for routine and relaxation. Its camera, sensors, and learning features could also prompt questions about privacy and emotional reliance, especially if users treat it as a companion rather than a device. Its $649 price may limit early adoption, so its broader social effect could remain modest until such robots become more common.