News3 November 20265 min readAlan Fox

Casio Moflin: the AI soft pet in German care-home trials

Casio's Moflin AI soft pet is in German care-home trials. What the AI does, the £369 UK price, privacy, and Amazon UK alternatives you can buy this Christmas.

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On 2 November 2026, Yahoo News carried a dpa feature, "Can AI soft toys ease loneliness in older people?". Ten Moflins have been at Hospital zum Heiligen Geist, a Hamburg care home for older people, since the end of 2025. Germany's Institute for Performance Work Health (ILAG) looked at 50 Moflins in five care homes.

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Image: Casio.

What Casio says Moflin is

Casio's UK pages, read on 3 November 2026, describe a soft companion in silver or gold. Developer Erina Echikawa told dpa it is inspired by small animals and is not based on any specific animal. The UK RRP is £369. Price correct as of 3 November 2026. Casio UK support (30 September 2026) says UK sales are only through Casio's official online store and Harrods. See Casio's UK product page.

Amazon UK product data that day had no Moflin, only watches and keyboards. Casio claims emotional engagement without social pressure, help with children's empathy, and less stress and anxiety from pet-like play. AIToys has not used a Moflin.

What the German trials show

Enno Olbrich, spokesman for the Hamburg home, told dpa the Moflins stimulate people and spark conversations. He also said they "cannot replace human contact. Nor can it replace a real pet."

ILAG study author Michael Bau said just over half of residents who interacted with a Moflin showed genuine interest. He described greater well-being, social participation and positive emotions for many, and fewer complaints about ailments for some. Some residents refused the toy: "I'm not a child, that's child's play."

Professor Oliver Korn, a human-computer interaction researcher, told dpa companion robots may have a role against loneliness: "it's competing with a complete lack of affection." The report gives no size of effect. "Just over half" counts only residents who interacted.

What AI does here

Patting, hugging and speaking are tied to positive emotions, and neglect or startling to negative ones. Casio says Moflin then learns the owner's voice and handling, recognises that person, and grows a richer expression and a personality from that care.

Sensors: a microphone, illuminance, touch, an accelerometer and a gyroscope. The head moves on two axes, rotation and tilt. No camera is listed. The MofLife app (iOS and Android) shows current feelings and a journal. A parent or carer should set that up and read the privacy notice before any upload.

It does not chat. Casio says it does not understand or record what you say. It converts voice features into non-identifiable data, stored on the device, to recognise frequent speakers.

Joy for All's cat and dog are sensor-driven: touch, motion and preset sounds, not a learning conversation. Percy's listing is touch, a purr and voice response. metaCat lists 29 voice commands. Neither is an open chat. LOOI is the conversational one: ChatGPT voice in English and Chinese, plus memory and a camera. See the LOOI review.

Data and privacy

Casio says data is processed on the device and holds no personally identifiable information. Voice features are not recordings. Nothing is uploaded unless you agree in the MofLife app. Casio says an upload goes to a dedicated server for the journal, servicing, quality improvement, and restoring a Moflin after a fault. The app may collect usage information.

LOOI is not that model. Its listing describes a camera (objects, people and scenes) and ChatGPT voice chat, a cloud service. That is not on-device processing.

Children, grandparents and Christmas

Casio's UK pages do not publish an age range. They do state 5°C to 35°C, about five hours of typical use at 25°C, a recharge of about 3 hours 30 minutes in the Moflin house (its bed), a weight of about 260 to 280 g, and a two-year free warranty.

For a grandparent or a child, Olbrich said it cannot replace human contact or a real pet. A parent or carer should set up the app. Wider gift ideas are in the Christmas 2026 AI toy gift guide. Moflin is a Casio or Harrods purchase.